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INDUSTRIAL 



Resources 



O F 



ddl IS CO lis 111. 

BY JOHN GREGORY, ESQ., C E 
MILWAUKEE, U. S. AMERICA. 




•STAKHS' BOOK AND JOB PRIXTIXC; OKFICI']. 
.IITNKAIT BT.OCK. 



StT^ET 



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PREFACE. 



''^liree or four ■writers have already brought the young state of 
'isconsin under public notice, every one of ■whom having contri- 
buted more or less to its advancement, by pointing out the many 
peculiar advantages it affords for a home to foreigners, and eastern 
farmers and capitalists, as compared with any other of the West- 
ern states. 

The -works of my predecessors have ans-wered all the purposes 
for which they -were -wi-itten. Ho-wever the celerity ■with ■which 
the state is advancing — the rapidity -with which new towns spring 
up, and dense forests disappear — the facilities of communication, 
by land and water, which are daily multiplying in every direc- 
tion — the spread of knowledge resulting from institutions recently 
ntablished in many parts of the state — the number of new towns 
nd counties organized every year — the magic change effected in 
le brief space of every successive year, in every department, de- 
land a new hand book almost every year. The present work 
lowever, though answering all the purposes of a guide to immi- 
xants, seeks a more permanent place in the archives of the coun- 
jy, and a wider sphere of usefulness, not only to the present gen- 
eration, but to generations yet unborn. Nature works under cer- 
tain laws, which never cease to act, and in which time effects no 
change. The soil, physiognomy, climate, and every natural pro- 
du<t and advantage, placed by pro'vddence at our command in the 
stf te, are aU the results of those laws, a knowledge of which en- 
ables us to convert them to our own use and benefit N'ature sup- 
plie > us with the raw material, and knowledge and industrial ac- 



IV PREFACE. 

tivity enable us to manufacture it into a thousand different for 
to supply our wants and administer to our comforts. One of 
chief objects of this book, therefore, is to point out all the r 
advantages and industrial resources of this state, and show 
convert them to the best purposes for the general ad"ranc( o^ 

its people, in all those departments of industry best calculat. i to 
make them independent, and elevate their condition in the scale 
of society socially, morally, mentally, and physically. The part 
of the work devoted to this subject, cannot be considered ephem- 
erial, the objects discussed being in their nature enduring, and the 
discussion universally applicable. The discussion of a subject em- 
bracing such a wide field, necessarily involves the consideration of 
many distinct problems. All, however, are linked together, in 
close connection, so as to form but one continuous chain, connect- 
ing the prosperity of Wisconsin with its industrial resources. Be- 
sides a wide range of statistical information on all matters connect- 
ed with the state, derived from the most reliable sources, the work 
contains numerous discussions of the geology, meteorology, cli- 
mate, and other natural conditions and phenomena observable in 
the territory ; of its soil, natural products, botany, and natural 
history; of its agriculture, ti-ade and commerce, harbors, and nav- 
igation ; of its lakes, rivers, prairies, and forests ; of its water 
power, fuel, machinery and handy-craft trades ; of its rail, plank 
and common roads ; of its colleges, schools, churches and other 
institutions ; and of every subject which legitimately comes with- 
in the scope of such a publication. In treating these subjects, 
B«merous others are incidentally introduced, as growing out of, 
or directly bearing upon, the particular subject under discussion, 
such as the exemption laws of the state, free trade and tariff, pub- 
lic works, <fec. All the towns and villages, with the sun-ounding 
districts, are described. The work concludes with instructions to 
immigrants. In conclusion it may be necessary to state that the 
work was commenced nearly three years ago, when the condition 
of the country was different from what it is at present : therefore 
any statement that might have been made, as then applicable to 
to the state of the country, has been altered when necessary in ? 
subsequent part of the work, so as to answer the altered conditio 
of the country. To make myself thoroughly acquainted with thi 



PREFACE. Y 

"'state,'! traveled through it in different directions, and also through 
^ large portions of the surrounding states in order to gain informa- 
tion respecting the geology and other subjects connected with 
Wisconsin. From the variety of subjects it embraces, and the at- 
tention paid to the wants and wishes of different classes, who may 
be desirous of information respecting this state, as well as of ma- 
ny who may read the book merely with the view of gratifying 
their taste or passing away an idle hour, I hope the work will be 
found to contain much that may suit all. The laborer, the mechan- 
ic, the manufacturer, the agriculturist, the miner, the geologist, 
the philosopher, the antiquarian, the naturalist, the political econ- 
omist, a,nd the general reader will find something in the work that 
may interest and please him : at least I have written it with that 
view. In discussing several of the subjects introduced into the 
following work, frequent allusion is made to the old country, with 
the view to institute a comparison between the existing conditions 
of both countries. Such a comparison is necessary inasmuch as 
the work is intended to be circulated, through England, Ireland, 
and Scotland, as well as through the German States, when a cor- 
rect translation into the German language shall be completed. 

I may have set forth some views of ray own, not in perfect ac- 
cordance with those entertained by others, but as I allow others 
perfect freedom of thought in speculative matters, I claim for my- 
self the right of expressing ray own peculiar opinions, which I do 
vrith due deference. With sectarian or political opinions I have 
nothing to do, and therefore wish it to be distinctly understood 
that whereever the subject may seem constructively to bear on 
these raatters, I have reference solely and exclusively to the social 
and moral condition of the state. 



IV PREFACE. 

tivitj enable us to manufacture it into a thousand different for 
to supply our wants and administer to our comforts. One of 
chief objects of this book, therefore, is to point out all the r 
advantages and industrial resources of this state, and show 
convert them to the best purposes for the general advance o^ 

its people, in all those departments of industry best calculai. i to 
make them independent, and elevate their condition in the scalfe 
of society socially, morally, mentally, and physically. The part 
of the "work devoted to this subject, cannot be considered ephem- 
erial, the objects discussed being in their nature enduring, and the 
discussion universally applicable. The discussion of a subject em- 
bracing such a wide field, necessarily involves the consideration of 
many distinct problems. All, however, are linked together, in 
close connection, so as to form but one continuous chain, connect- 
ing the prosperity of Wisconsin with its industrial resources. Be- 
sides a wide range of statistical information on all matters connect- 
ed with the state, derived from the most rehable sources, the work 
contains numerous discussions of the geology, meteorology, cli- 
mate, and other natural conditions and phenomena observable in 
ihe territory ; of its soil, natural products, botany, and natural 
history; of its agriculture, tirade and commerce, harbors, and nav- 
igation ; of its lakes, rivers, prairies, and forests ; of its water 
power, fuel, machinery and handy-craft trades ; of its rail, plank 
and common roads ; of its colleges, schools, churches and other 
institutions ; and of every subject which legitimately comes with- 
in the scope of such a publication. In treating these subjects, 
immerous others are incidentally introduced, as growing out of, 
or directly bearing upon, the particular subject under discussion, 
such as the exemption laws of the state, free trade and tariff, pub- 
lic works, &c. All the towns and villages, with the surrounding 
districts, are described. The work concludes with instructions to 
immigrants. In conclusion it may be necessary to state that the 
work was commenced nearly three years ago, when the condition 
of the country was different from what it is at present : therefore 
any statement that might have been made, as then applicable to 
to the state of the country, has been altered when necessary in f 
subsequent part of the work, so as to answer the altered conditio 
of the county. To make myself thoroughly acquainted with thi 



rPREFACE. V 

'^^ state/ 1 traveled through it in different directions, and also through 
' large portions of the surrounding states in order to gain informa- 
tion respecting tlie geology and other subjects connected with 
Wisconsin. From the variety of subjects it embraces, and the at- 
tention paid to the wants and wishes of different classes, who may 
be desirous of information respecting this state, as well as of ma- 
ny who may read the book merely with the view of gratifying 
their taste or passing away an idle hour, I hope the work will be 
found to contain much that may suit all. The laborer, the mechan- 
ic, the manufacturer, the agriculturist, the miner, the geologist, 
tlie philosopher, the antiquarian, the naturalist, the political econ- 
omist, and the general reader will find something in the work that 
may interest and please hira : at least I have written it with that 
view. In discussing several of the subjects introduced into the 
following work, frequent allusion is made to the old country, with 
the view to institute a comparison between the existing conditions 
of both countries. Such a comparison is necessary inasmuch as 
the work is intended to be circulated, through England, Ireland, 
and Scotland, as well as through the German States, when a cor- 
rect translation into the German language shall be completed. 

I may have set forth some views of my own, not in perfect ac- 
cordance with those entertained by others, but as I allow others 
perfect freedom of thought in speculative matters, I claim for my- 
self the right of expressing my own peculiar opinions, which I do 
with due deference. With sectarian or political opinions I have 
nothing to do, and therefore wish it to be distinctly understood 
that whereever the subject may seem constructively to bear on 
these matters, I have reference solely and exclusively to the social 
and moral condition of the state. 



INDUSTEIAE RESOURCES. 



CHAPTER I . 

Our people are accustomed to speak of our prosperity and 
greatness, in language -whicli may seem to deal too freely in 
hyperboles ; but notwithstanding a temporary depression felt 
at present, (1850) arising from causes which time will re- 
move, and which are explained in a subsequent chapter of 
this work, I can assert from personal know ledge, as well as from 
the concurrent testimony of travelers and the press, that no 
country or state has perhaps ever advanced so rapidly along the 
path of improvement and civilization, as Wisconsin. I am not 
to be understood as including large accumulations of money 
in the march of progi-essive improvements, though I could 
point out many that have amassed considerable fortunes from 
the legitimate pursuits of trade and commerce, as well, as 
from the yearly increasing value of real estate. In a new 
country where land and labor must necessarily form the chief 
capital, money cannot accumulate rapidly in the rural dis- 
tricts ; but with the daily increasing amount of labor now 
crowding in upon us from every point ; the unequaled fer- 
tility of our soil ; the salubrity of our chmate ; and the fa- 
cihties of intercourse, both internal and external, which are 
every day midtiplying around us, the reality far exceeds the 
most glowing terms that can be employed in its praise. 



OF WISCONSIN. 7 

A few years ago, the dark and silent forest ; the green 
rolling prairie ; the crystal waters of its thousand lakes, and 
as many murmuring streams and riyerss seryed only to feed 
the agile deer, the unweildy buffalo, and the roving tribes 
of naked Indians, that claimed this wild, but beautiful re- 
gion, as their inheritance. 

But now a different state of things is \-isible. Xow an 
ocean of waving crops of golden hue, occupy the place of 
the gloomy forest ; and the bustle of the busy reaper , the 
merry prattle of the light hearted maid, and the gladdening 
accents of the farmer's family fill the air, banishing its won- 
ted silence, and giving the whole scene around, an aspect of 
industrial activity, cheerfulness and joy, which cannot be 
equaled in any country burdened with rack-rents, taxes, 
poor rates, and a thousand other charges calculated to dis- 
hearten the people, and leave no hope of improving their 
condition. The tens of thousands of homed cattle that 
graze in contented and lazy luxuriance on the boundless 
prairies, have banished the unwieldy buffalo to the Rocky 
Mountains , and the march of ci\-ilization which seems to keep 
pace with the sun as he rolls westwards chasing the gloom of 
night, has driven the red man beyond the father of rivers. The 
lakes and rivers visited only by the buffalo and Indian, when 
the craNings of appetite urged them thither, are now covered 
with fleets of steamboats and sailing crafts, bearing the pro- 
duce of this golden region to the ocean, and returning laden 
with the luxuries of distant cKmes. The monotonous aspect 
of the rolling prairie is broken and enhvened by nimierous 
cheerful dwellings with which it is dotted here and there, 
among cultivated fields of various hues, and luxuriant pastures 
of the deepest green, stoc-ked with cows, horses and sheep> 



8 INDUSTRIAL RES0UBCE3 

which add Hfe and animation to, the scene. The silence of 
the lonely lake, embosomed between sloping heights and 
frowning bluffs, covered to their top with the towering mon- 
archs of the forest, and with the more humble, but not less 
beautiful tribes of evergreens, which add grace and beauty 
to the prospect, is broken by the incessent stroke of the 
hammer, the clattering of the mill, and the snorting of the 
steam engine, giving motion to machinery of various sorts ; 
and by the multitude of busy citizens that people the new 
city, which has sprung up, as if by magic. 

The ample river, whose silence was broken only by the 
mnrmm-s of its own waters, as they glided along, having in- 
vited the industrious multitude to settle on its banks, to^^iis 
and villages, with saw and grist mills, stores and lumber 
yards, workshops and private dwellings start into existance 
in a single year. 

Hereditary titles and the law of entail have been pro" 
reductive of much evil in the old country, elevating one branch 
of a family, and depressing the other, merely with a view 
to create and perpetuate an aristocracy in the land, than 
which nothing could operate worse on the general frame of 
societ}^ This remark is strikingly illustrated by the state 
of society in Ireland, where the descendents of the same pa- 
rents are socially as far asunder as the poles. If personal 
merit deserves titles, I have no objection that, under a mon- 
archical government, they should be conferred on him who 
gained them ; but his heir by law, who perhaps may be an 
idiot or wicked man, has no personal right to them. If 
intellectual talent or industrial activity accumulates wealth, 
the owner has a perfect right to enjoy it to an unlimited ex- 
tent, but as the laws of nature dictate no preference of one 



OF WISCONSIN. 9 

cliild to another, the father who leaves one child rich and 
all the rest poor, violates a natural law, proceeding from the 
fountain of justice. He does more, he lays the foundation 
of an ^vil which separates the people into distinct classes, 
making the millions poor and dependant, and the tens 
wealthy and exclusive. We cannot see these remarks fully 
illustrated in this free republic, where equality, the natural 
birthright of man, is acknowledged. In Ireland, (and per- 
haps I might include England and Scotland too, but not in 
the same degree,) they are exemplified to the very letter. 
In Ireland the few are rich, and the many poor. This state 
of things will induce thousands to quit that country which 
affords neither position in society, nor the means of com- 
fortable existence ; a country whose vital powers are wasting 
away under a disorder which yields to no external applica- 
tion ; a disorder which aflfects no self cure ; a disorder which 
seems irrestible in its progress, to effect evil in every de- 
partment, and among every class ; a disorder consuming all 
the available resources of the country; reducing even the 
land lords to a state bordering on destitution, and obliging 
many to abandon their land altogether, from inability to ful- 
fill its liabilities ; the poor rates, with other charges, in ma- 
ny cases', exceeding the available receipts. Under such dis- 
couraging circumstances, how thankful should they be to 
the Supreme Ruler of all nations, for having provided for 
them, as well as for the distressed of all other European na- 
nations, a safety-valve by which to escape , a home to shelt- 
them, and a land to feed them. Let them therefore not 
h^itate to come where a demand exists for labor ; where 
land can be had cheap; where the law knows no class; 
wh^e situations of honor and trust are open to merit ; where 



XO INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

it may be said that every one has a vote which virtually 
goes to make the laws by which he is to be governed ; where 
the exemption laws secure a home to all whose labor may 
have acquired it, a sacred spot of free earth which he can 
call his own, a spot which will be an asylum in times of ad- 
versity, from which the wife and children, old age and infan- 
cy, can still draw sustenance, and claim protection, though 
misfortune may rob them of all else, and then feel that they 
are still free, still entitled to walk the green earth, and breathe 
the free air of heaven " in defiance of power and potency of 
accumulated wealth, and the domineering hateaur of the 
ambitious." I should be sorry it would be supposed from 
this quotation, that I am for limiting the accumulation of 
wealth, by individuals ; as that would be checking private 
enterprise and the legitimate exercise of individual activity, 
I am well aware that many good men possessing great wealth 
feel convinced of the truth, that, " wealth has its duties, as 
well as its rights." To such persons, the quotation does not 
apply. To return to the subject of homestead exemption, 
the law which exempts forty acres of land, with a house and 
all its ap23urtenances, from execution, secures a home for every 
family, whose honest labor may have obtained it, against the 
weakness, the vices, or misfortunes of the father, riveting 
the affections of the child, in years of manhood, by a stron- 
ger tie than any consideration that could exist, and imprinting 
on his memory, in characters never to be effaced, the stream 
upon whose flowery banks he had played, and in whose 
limpid waters he had bathed, often in thoughtless insecurity ; 
*'the favorite spot where he had gamboled in the innocence of 
childhood ; the family altar where he felt a mother's love, 
and bent the knee in youthful obedience to the will of his 



OF WISCONSIN. 2 J 

Maker;" the green spot containing the ashes of those ho had 
once loved; every hill and hollow; every plant and flower; 
every shrub and tree ; and exiry object however tri\ ial, oc- 
cupying a place on the farm which contains his home. 
Besides a house and forty acrei of land, the law of this 
state exempts from execution or s^e, the family bible, tamily 
pictures, school books and libraryja seat or -pew in a house 
of public worship, the rites of bui-dl of the dead, all wear- 
ing apparel; all beds and bedding; all stoves, cooking uten- 
sils and furniture, not exceeding ^$20 in value; two cows 
ten swine, one yoke of oxen and on horse ; ten sheep all 
the wool from the same, the necossar* food for all this stock 
for one year, one wagon, cart, or dra^one sleigh, one plow, 
one drag and other farming implemeis, not exceedin'^'- fifty 
dollars in value ; provisions for one yir, fuel for one year 
tools and implements, or stock in trJe of any mechanic 
miner, or other person, used for the purjseofcarrA ino- on his 
trade, not exceeding $200. These an exemptions which 
place us here b*eyond the reach of abjecioverty, or absolute 
want. Contrast these privileges, and thtfreedom of our in- 
stitutions with the farmers present enjoynnt or future pros- 
pects in Ireland, and the question arises liv any one could 
remain there? Here the Irish exert the latent enero-ies 
and throw off the slothful habits producecby a worn out 
system of society, and numerous other cau< operatino- for 
centuries. Where no prospect of improveint is seen in 
the distance, we rest satisfied with our pPnt condition 
however low — just so in Ireland ; but the preset of reward 
sweetens labor and stimulates to exertion, asfujjy proved 
by the laborious exertions of the Irish in exocao- our pub- 
lic works. At home the Irish get no remune'ou for their 



12 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

labor, here tliey are highly remunerated. Therefore if the 
Irish are charged with the sio of idleness at home, they can 
assign a reason sufficient aui ample. The government of 
this country could not advaice the interest of the state more 
effectually than to hold oit still greater inducements to for- 
eigners and others living in distant states, by giving all the 
disposable land in the sUte, free to actual settlers, charging 
only the bare expense ofthe survey and transfer. The more 
rapid our growth in ppulation, the sooner will all our in- 
dustrial resources be ully developed. The sooner we fill 
our state with strangrs, the sooner will they be taught to 
adopt our liabits, an(^ comply with all our modes of action. 
The soil constitutes t]3 raw material, which, while unwrought 
is worse than useles but under the operation of labor, be- 
comes national weah. Our own natural growth, unassist- 
ed by foreign imm,"ration, would require ages to supply suf- 
ficient labor to til^e ground, and raise from it all it is 
. capable of yieldin Therefore it is the interest of all, to 
induce foreio-ners^ settle among us ; notwithsianding the 
opinion of a few possessing strong Native American feel- 
in^ to the co^^^y* The sooner, too, on another ac- 
count, we fill c* state, the better : as though the daily in- 
fljix of strans:') i^^J he considered as a means of improv- 
/ino' the man^s of society, yet the history of the human 
/ yg^g shows tl- ^0 real progress can be made in the eleva- 
tion and refij^i^^t of a people, till they settle down and cease 
to be mio-ray- A tree" must plant its roots deep in the 
soil before ■ branches can ascend in symmetry towards the 
heavens, sc is with a government, which must plant the 
love of its'titutions deep in the hearts of its people, before 
the natioi^ii ascend in majestic beauty towards perfection 



OF WISCONSIN. IS 

and permanency. Natural elements, lieterogeneous fn char- 
acter, cannot settle down into a state of qiiiesence till the 
})rocess of eftervescence, which takes place from their admix- 
ture, is over : so is it with a population like ours, composed, 
as it is, of heterogeneous masses collected together from ev- 
ery quarter of the globe. The "gaseous discord" generated 
by the admixture of ditferent habits, customs, passions and 
feelings must get time to escape, before a society composed 
of such jaring elements can settle into a state of permanent 
quietude. For this reason, the sooner we fill the state, the 
better. But though these elements may jar for a moment, 
like different metals in the furnace, yet the amalgamation of 
the races, by intermaiTiage, must produce the most perfect 
race of men that has ever appeared upon earth. The metal 
is purified in the furnace by banishing all its impurities in 
the process of fusion, and combining by natural affinity the 
remaining refined materials ; so is it with races, not only of 
men, but of all the inferior animals, which are invr.riably 
improved by crossing the breeds. This view of the case 
holds good in the vegetable kingdom also. By grafting on 
the wildest crab tree, the most delicious fruit is in time pro- 
duced. The history of the world proves that races of 
an improved character are invariably produced by the fusion 
of different races. The surprising races of .the old world 
were the offspring of such fusion, and no doubt all the pow- 
erful nations of Europe were, from time to time, reconstruct- 
ed, by the amalgamation of different races, and the more 
heterogeneous the elements, of which they were composed, the 
more powerful the race. Hence, I argue that America, at 
no very distant period, must produce the most perfect race of^ 
men, both as regards intellectual and physical powers, of any 
/)eopIei either of ancient or modern times. 1* 



14 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Long indulgence in ease and luxury, and tlie intermarriage 
of noble families, for ages, to prevent the intermixture of 
plebean blood, have led to the degeneracy of many of the 
old nobility of Europe, both mentally and physically. Thus 
impaired in mind and body, and their overgrown hereditary 
fortune ruined by long indulgence in extravagant habits, ma- 
ny of the nobility improve their condition in every respect, 
by marrying the daughters of wealthy bankers ,manufactu- 
rers, or merchants. Such alliances have invariably tended 
not only to improve the worldly condition of the noble spen- 
thrifts, but also, by the infusion of new blood, derived from a 
class kept in a healthy condition, by temperance and indus- 
trial activity, to revive the exhausted faculties of the mind 
and body, and thus prevent the approach to idiotcy, and in 
many cases, to the total extinction of numerous families. 
Nobility always originates in worth, but very often ends in 
degeneracy. Original titles are only conferred on men of ta- 
lent and public usefulness ; but hereditary titl&s and wealth, 
frequently lead to intemperance, imbecility and total extinc- 
tion. No such result can arise in such a republic as ours, 
where the law of primogeniture is unknown — where in> 
dustrial activity, and individual worth alone can expect to 
be rewarded — w^here the poi-tals leading to every post of 
honor and emolument are thrown open to all, irrespective of 
class, creed, or station — where industry and labor are always 
rewarded, but never disparaged — and where every man must 
live by the sweat of his own brow. 

At present, w^hatever industrial activity exists in Wiscon- 
sin is distributed along the Michigan and Superior lake shores, 
along the Mississippi river, through the mining regions, and 
along the navigable streams on which the lumber trade is 



OF WISCONSIN- 15 

conducted. The pineries from wbicli we obtain tLe enor- 
mous supply for home consumption, and for distant markets, 
mentioned in a subsequent chapter, exhibit a scene of indus- 
trial activity, of which no one, without seeing it, could have 
any conception. But with these exceptions, and the newly 
constructed rail and plank roads, the work which employe 
the bulk of the rest of our population, is agriculture, which 
in places inaccessible to markets, is not remunerative, but 
very much so, in places where produce can be disposed oL 
To extend the sphere of industrial activity, and distribute its 
manifold advantages among all classes, good roads are indis- 
pensable. At certain seasons of the year, many of the com- 
mon roads of Wisconsin, as well as of other western states, 
are impassable : therefore plank roads ought to be construct- 
ed where want of sufficient capital precludes the possibility 
of building a better. Even in seasons when our common 
roads are passable, the expenditure of power in drawing a 
given weight on them is very considerable, as compared with 
that required to draw the same over a plank road. It is 
computed that to draw a ton weight on an ordinary common 
road, requires a pull of one hundred and forty-seven pounds, 
and to draw a ton on a plank road, requires only a pull of 
twenty-three pounds. The first step towards civilization 
and national prosperity is facility of intercourse, as afforded 
by good roads, and therefore, while the capital invested in 
such public improvements have, in most instances, remuner- 
ated the projectors, they have established a just claim to pub- 
lic gratitude. Next to the means of instruction, facility of 
intercourse tends most to improve the condition of a people. 
Plank roads radiating from every town in the state, would 
effect a saving in the single article of fire wood, equal to tho 



1^ INDUSTRIAL RESOUHCES 

expense of construction, not to mention tlie various articles 
of produce, which every town requires for its consumption, 
I must again repeat, that we must regard those as the bast 
benefactors, who open up the avenues leading the richest re- 
sources of the country, placing at the very doors of the in- 
habitants of every district, the means of the most perfect ac- 
cess to markets where they may dispose of, or barter their 
spare produce, either for cash, or such necessaries as thej 
may stand in need of. 

"What plank roads are to a district, rail roads are to a na- 
tion. Plank roads develope the industrial resources of a 
district, rail roads develope the industrial resources of a na- 
tion. 

The superiority of a rail road over any other, even the 
most perfect in England, is too manifest to admit of rivalry; 
possessing, as it does, unlimited means of accommodation, 
either for the rapid transmission of any -amount of merchan- 
dize, or of any number of passengers, with whom time is in 
general, an element of profit, entering largely into every 
transaction in which the traveling public are engaged. 
Rail roads have proved of such paramount advantage in 
England, that they have superceded the best common roadi 
in the world, banishing the mail coaches, and all other pub- 
lic conveyances whatever, and giving to the nation a degree 
of commercial and manufacturing superiority, which she ne" 
ver could have attained to, under the old system of travel' 
ing, for which she had been so justly celebrated. When 
rail roads have conferred on England, a mere cabbage gar- 
den, such commercial advantages, what must their effect be 
on the interests of America, remarkable for the extent of 
its territory; the variety of its natural products; and the 



OF WISCONSIN. 17 

traveling propensity of its inhabitants. When English rail 
roads pay a handsome per centage on the outlay, what must 
not we expect from capital invested in American rail roads. 
The engineering difficulties in England, the vast sums de- 
manded for the right of way, the lavish expenditure of cap- 
ital in obtaining a charter, and the enormous expense of un- 
necessary embellishments, all tend to diminish the profits of 
the stock holders. In Wisconsin, at least, companies under- 
taking to build rail roads have none of these to contend with; 
their profits therefore, must be proportionably large. If cap- 
italists in wealthy England were aware of these facts, they 
would gladly loan on railroad security in Wisconsin, getting 
what is unknown there, a large percentage on the very best 
security. If capitalists in England were aware of the ex- 
tensive field open for them here, for the secure and profita- 
ble investment of money, at five or six per cent ; their spare 
capital need not be abegging at home at two per cent. Having 
made this digression, I shall notice a few of the circumstan- 
ces under which we exist, as regards our position, our capa- 
bilities, and our prospects from rapid intercourse, with every 
part of the state, as well as with every state in the Union. 
Commercial travelers in the large manufacturing towns in 
England, find it their advantage to fly to their customers re- 
moved from them but a short distance, comparatively, to 
take or solicit orders for their cutlery, their plated ware, their 
broad cloth, their crockery, their calico, and such other aj-ti- 
cles as they may have to dispose of. A few hours would be 
sufficient to bring them, by well appointed coaches, on the 
best possible roads, to the most distant out posts, where they 
did business : therefore the saving of time^ by going in a 
rail road car, could amount^ at the utmost, but to a few houi-s. 



18 INDUSTRIAL RESOITRCES 

What is this minute saving of time in pursuit of customers 
to purchase a few routine article of manufacture, useful no 
doubt, and indispensible, in their way, when put in compe- 
tition with the great moral revolution that must necessarily 
result from a system of railways in Wisconsin, in connec- 
tion with others leading to the most distant parts of the 
Union. The vast extent of America gives her all the neces- 
sary products of the whole world, except tea, and that too 
can be propogated in some of the southern countries, by 
proper and judicious management. Situated somewhat mid- 
way, (for in America a few hundred miles make little differ- 
ence,) between the broad Atlantic and the still broader Pa- 
cific ocean, Wisconsin, by means of an extensive system of 
railways connecting these shores, and connecting Spitsbergin 
with Cape Horn, may exchange her various and abundant 
natural products for the manifold luxuries of every clime. 
It is in such a vast spread continent, connected together by 
a net- work system of railroads, that a saving of time, to 
some amount^ can be effected. Such a system of railways 
will have the effect, not only of saving time, but also of ex- 
tending commerce, spreading civilization, breaking down dif- 
ferences of long standing, removing antipathies, many of 
them merely imaginary, and of bringing about a moral rev- 
olution unequaled in any country on earth. All this may 
appear fanciful ; but every day brings to light some reality 
more wonderful and dazzling than the wildest immagination 
of our fathers. The most marvelous fairy tale to which I 
often listened, in early childhood, with trembling delight, 
were but mere shadows, when compared with what we see 
now, the realities of daily life. The wooden horse that bore 
his rider on his journey, by turning a pin, is but a feeble 



OF WISCONSIN'. 19 

emblem of our iron liorso, breathing fire and cloud, pwoep- 
ing by with the roar of a tempest and the speed of an eagle 
in his irre-sistible career. Water this mighty horse in the 
morning, in our crystiii lake, feed him in the woods, and at 
noon he shall slak(; his renewed thirst in the turbid waters of 
the father of rivers; and in the evening refresh himself on 
the banks of tlie briny waters of the great Pacific. Tliis 
iron horse, the creation of a master mind, fed upon the an- 
tagonistic elements, fire and water, is destined to draw to- 
gether into close intimacy, all the families of the human 
race, by annihilating time and space. The magic gem whose 
change of color told the fate of a distant frieiK^, or the en- 
clianted mirror that revealed to the heroine the form of her 
lover, are more than ec|uale<l by the spells of the modern 
application of science. The Daguerreotype fixes on its pol- 
islu'd surface the invisible ghost of the passing picture, and 
evokes it to sight. The electric telegraph not only warns, 
but discourses, by printing its message. The thief has 
scarcely time to pocket the stolen purse, before he is gazetted 
at the most distant point of the nation ; and the amorous 
lover has scarcely procured a cab to convey his fancied prize 
to the next railway stiition, before the bands are forbidden at 
** Gretna Green." One man tamed the subtle fluid, and an- 
other taught it to speak. Nothing could aftbrd a more prac- 
tical illustration of the wonderful rapidity with which news 
is transmitted through every part of this wide spread coun- 
try than w^as atforded by the last Presidential election. The 
ballot box was closed with the setting of the sun, on the day 
of election, (2d November,) in every town and city through- 
out the Union, and before the inhabitants of Milwaukee had 
retired to rest, the telegraph wires brought the news of the vie- 



20 INDUSTRIAL RKSOUSCES 

torious party. Look to the length and breadth of thisUnioa,. 
count the thousands and tens of thousands of cities, towns 
and villages spread all over it in every direction, and then 
consider the achievements effected by the modern applica- 
tion of science. Is it not wonderful I What has effected 
aU these modern wonders ? knowledge^ who then will deny 
the w^ise saying, that "knowledge is power." Fiilly per- 
suaded of the truth, that knowledge is power, the wisdom 
of American legislation has provided every class amply with 
the means of acquiring useful knowledge, which cannot fail 
to diminish crime, promote virtue, banish superstition, make 
all our citizens more useful, and better members of society, 
and add to the amount of national happiness. The glistening 
domes of our palaces of education bear ample testimony to 
the stranger, as he approaches the queen city of the lakes, 
that our rulers have not been unmindful of our intellectual 
culture. Every ward in our city has its beautiful and or- 
namental building,- in which the rich and poor of every 
class, religion, and creed, can sit down together, side by 
side, and receive instructions in such useful branches of 
education as are calculated to promote theh- usefulness, as 
men and citizens. Nothing sectarian or political should 
make its way to that fountain from which all are to imbibe 
useful knowledge. Let all come together and draw from 
that fountain the knowledge which fits them for th-e world 
and makes them useful citizens, and from their respective 
clergy and parents, the knowledge which fits them for hea> 
ven. In a system of mixed education, useful knowledge 
bearing on the ordinary affairs of life and morality, should 
alone be taught in schools. Nothing tends more ;^o sour the 
mind, engender a lasting hatred^ and keep up sectarian feuds,,, 



OF WISCONSIN. 21 

than to educate the youth apart, and poison their tender 
minds with the noxious seeds of religious bigotry, which 
never fail to grow to maturity in rank luxuriance, under the 
fostering care of contending parties. Away with that hate- 
ful cant, which has so long retarded the progress of educa- 
tion in Ireland, and inflicted upon that unfortunate, but 
beautiful country, more lasting injuries than the potatoe 
blight itself. No impression is so lasting as those of early 
life — no sentiment so endurino'. The lessons learned in ear- 

o 

ly childhood are retained in old age, while those learned in 
mature years are sometimes soon forgotten. There is no 
friendship so pure, so liberal, so lasting as that which springs 
up in early life at school, in young hearts contending for the 
literary and scientific laurels which, in after life, add dignity, 
honor and renown to the brow that w^eai's them. With what 
fond recollections do we dwell on the scenes and incidents of 
our school-boy days. Why then should children be separa- 
ated at an age when the tender mind is susceptible of form- 
ing the most lasting and ennobling sentiments of our nature ; 
such a separation is the begining of a lasting hatred, form- 
ing a line of demarkation which can never after be broken 
down. While I am anxious to inculcate liberal principles, 
by breaking down those barriers which separate sects, I am 
equally anxious to keep places of education free from any- 
thing bordering on an unfair system of proselytism, which 
oftener springs from hatred than love. This is a digression 
which I had not intended, growing out of the superlative 
importance of the subject — knowledge, the evidence and 
fruits of the diffusion thereof are more visible, and practi- 
cably ilustrated, throughout this country, than perhaps in the 
most enlightened parts of Europe. In a subsequent chap- 



22 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

ter, I shall resume tlie subject of telegraph lines, in detail, as 
also that of rail, plank and common roads, showing their re- 
lative usefulness, as means of transit. Aware that this work 
will be extensively read in the old country, I feel anxious to 
point out in general terms the advantages of this country 
over any part of the old country, as a home for persons able 
and willing to work. In this country, no one has occasion 
to beg. All have peace and plenty. It is not too much to 
say that the masses are better fed, better clad, and more com- 
fortably lodged in America, than in any part of the known 
world. The laboring man lives well, dresses well, and sleeps 
comfortably. Though nothing is had here without working 
or paying for it, yet the means of support is so accessible 
that no one feels apprehensive of want ; and though all seem 
anxious to accumulate wealth, I never heard a parent ex- 
press the smallest anxiety, as to the future prospects of his 
offspring. This also arises from the known fact, that boys 
and girls, at a very early age, can provide for themselves, 
and are known to do so, at an age at which English or 
Irish children could not be entrusted with the delivery of an 
ordinary message. The anxiety of parents in the old coun- 
try respecting the future prospects of their offspring, arises 
solely from the difficulty of providing for them. There a 
numerous family is a burden, here it is a certain source of 
profit. There the hardest working laborer can never possess 
a permanent interest in the soil, or even live in comparative 
comfort, here every such laborer can live in comfort and 
spare, in a few years, a sum sufficient to purchase real es- 
tate, which descends to his children ; there a poor man has 
no vote, and therefore has nothing to do with the forming of 
the laws, by which he is governed ; here every one has a 



OF WISCONSIN. 23 

vote, and tlie law requires no property qualification to enti- 
tle even the poor&st man to take his seat among the legis- 
lative assemblies entrusted with the framing of the laws by 
whicli the nation is governed. The prosperity of the coun- 
try is a positi\'e proof of the wisdom of the laws, and the 
<?ondition of the treasury is sufficient to convince our people 
that those at the head of the different departments of the 
state, discharge their respective duties with the most scrupu- 
lous regard to economy. Labor, under equitable laws, 
is the foundation of wealth, and no doubt, our prosperity 
and wealth are, in some degree, owing to the freedom, wis- 
dom, and liberality of our national institutions, as well as to 
the productive industry of our people. We live in an age 
of progress, and it is not too much to say that we are, em- 
phaticiilly, a nation of progress. In the old country, a man 
will suffer considerably before he engages in any branch of 
trade or industry below his former station, from which he 
may have been removed by the force of circumstances, over 
whicli, perhaps, he had no control ; Iiere every man may en- 
gage in any useful pursuit according to his taste or inclination , . 
without the slightest fear of loosing his position in society, or 
being looked down upon, or slighted by his wealthier neigh- 
bor, in whose favor he rises in proportion to his industry 
and labor. Here no occupation is considered degrading 
which provides the individual with the means of self-support ; 
in the old country, it is not so. Here the idler, only, is dis 
pised ; in the old country family connection is a license for 
idleness. 

The political and social condition of all new countries pro 
mote a degree of equality, whicli influences the manners of 
the people. To a person accustomed to rank in a higher 



24 lyDl'STRIAL KESOrKCES 

Ci^ide of society, ilie freedom oi persons below tliat grade^ 
is far from being agreeable, at first; but in a republic, where 
the laws of the constitution make no distinction, or confer no 
privileged rights, every rcuin naturjilly considers himself as 
good as another. This freedom comes with a good grace 
from all educated persons, but with no rehsh from the imed- 
ucated, who generally mistake freedom for obtrusive forward- 
ness : persons of good common sense howevcT, knowing the 
common right of all to equality in a free country, will make 
due allowance for the absence of those personal acquire- 
ments, which alone can render men acceptable to, all clashes. 
Distinctive rights, else than those confered by personal merit, 
can nev^ promote the welfare of a new country ; and though 
|x^rsonal quahties, resulting from early habits, education, and 
gcxni society, as well as from superior skill, talent, or honesty 
mar be disregarded bv the vulirar, vet time must enforce 
the claim of such quahties and endowments to the imiversal 
respect of all classes. At pr^ent, in this country, as weU as 
in all other new countries, the great and paramount object 
of every individusd is, to procure the actual necessaries of 
life — food and raiment Here, it may be assumed, that 
there are no proprietors who can let their lands to tenants, 
at a yearly rent — no Lirge fortunes accumnlated, except by a 
few traders in large cities : therefore the only means at our 
immediate command, by which to procure the necessaries of 
life, is labor. Hence it is. that manual labor is so much val- 
ued and so highly rewarded. Hence it is also, that intel- 
lectual acquirements are so little valued, and so badly re- 
warded. This is the natural result flowing directly from the 
actual existing circumstances of the country. Another re- 
sult flows from the same cause, namely, that skilled labor is 



OF WISCONSIN. 25 

neither valued nor rewarded, as compared with unskilled labor. 
From this vieAv of the case, and this view is founded on facts, 
we can easily see why the professors of science and literature in 
our colleges, authors, etlitors of newspapers, ministers of reli- 
gion lawyers, physicians, painters, civil engineers and architects 
are so badly paid in this country, as compared with similar 
professions in Great Britain and Ireland. This state of 
things has a tendency to retard the progTess of national re- 
finement and intellectual improvement : as without a pros- 
l>ect of adequate pecuniary reward or personal honor, there 
can be no inducement to bestow time and mental labor on 
these branches of art, science, and literature, without which, 
however, no nation can attain to that degree of social per- 
fection, or political power, which it otherwise would, under 
more favor;ible circumstances. Time, however, will remedy 
what is but the natural and inevitable result of causes origi- 
nating in the peculiar circumstances of the country. In- 
dustrial labor will produce wealth, and wealth, under proper 
direction and control, will produce national refinement. The 
progress already made in the arts and sciences, as well as in 
all the depaitraents of social life, by all the older states of 
the Union, fully illustrates the position I assume, and gives 
a reasonable hope, that Wisconsin, with all her natural ad- 
yantages, will follow, close, her older sisters in the march of 
intellectual and social improvement. Here every one is em- 
ployed in some industrial branch of labor — here the influ- 
ence of family or birth is scarcely felt — here there is no 
dominant sect or church establishment to be paid — here it 
is not considered a disgrace to work at any trade or calling 
— ^here no one is brought up in perfect ignorance — liere no 
one eats the bread of idleness — here also we have colleges? 



26 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

normal schools, and agricultural societies — here, in short, is 
a field, wide and ample to afford the means of living to mil- 
lions ! With all these advantages, is it not reasonable to ex- 
pect) that we shall move forward in the march of progressive 
improvement, with a rapidity commensurate with our pecu» 
liar position. I could cite the concurrent testimony of numer- 
ous travelers to prove that " there is much in the elements 
of our state which superinduces great thoughts — a majesty. 
in our forests, power in our rivers, splendor upon our prairies, 
and beauty pervading the whole, which enlarges, strength- 
ens, glorifies, and fills the mind with lofty aspirations, noble 
ambition, independence, and a spirit of love, and universal 
brotherhood." We are not however to depend solely on 
our natural advantages. We have rival states, possessing 
some advantages too, and quite awake to their own interests, 
to contend with. We ought to look to ours, by "taking time 
by the forelock." If we rest on our oars, we loose the race. 
If we are not early in the field, others will be in possession. 
The streams of industry, trade, and commerce are passing 
into Chicago, like mountain torrents. The sagacity and 
enterprising spirit of her citizens have commenced to draw 
some of these streams from our state, and they will inevita- 
bly succeed in injuring our best interests, if we neglect to 
tap them at their source, and convey them through the le- 
gitimate channels of the state. No one can blame Chicago 
for setting a great part of her commercial machinery in mo- 
tion by a power drawn from our resources, if we look on 
with our arms folded and our wheels at rest for want of that 
motive power which we allow thus to pass away. The Chica- 
go and Galena Railroad will drain the business of the western 
parts of our state, the projected tributaries to this, having 
their source at Mineral Point, Beloit, and Janesville will drain 



OF WISCONSIN. 27 

the south, and the Kock River Valley Rail Road ^vill sweep 
away every thing from Fond du Lac to Janesville, if not 
prevented in time. Tlie ruinous effects of these roads can 
only be counteracted, by vigorously building all the roads 
which have been projected through this state. This would 
have the effect of directing the stream of commerce to the 
lake cities of Wisconsin. The necessity of increased exer- 
tion hourly presses itself on our citizens, to counteract ap- 
proaching evils, by taking immediate action on all the pro- 
jects relating to roads leading to our lake shore cities, and 
by taking advantage of all the favorable circumstances which 
chance seems likely to throw in our way. Captain McKen- 
non of the English Navy, grounding his statements on what 
he considers to be " sound and accurate information, writes 
that it hasl ately been whispered abroad, that negotiations are 
pending between the British and American Governments to 
build jointly a rail road on the boundry line to the Pacific, 
from the head of Lake Superior, in latitude 49 deg. N. The 
Canadians being apprised of this fact are pushing their rail 
roads with " hot haste" to monopolise the trade to lake Su- 
perior, and thus get the first chance for all the summer bus- 
iness to those regions." 

' Some fifty years ago, the gi-eat continents that looked 
across the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean were either bar- 
ren wilds, or ancient and mysterious empires, without enter- 
prise or signs of life, save and except a few Indians, a stray 
deer, or other wild animal, reposing without fear on the broad 
wilderness. The Pacific was then an ocean of pastoral ro- 
mance ; but is now flanked by empires rising in importance 
with a celerity of progress which has no parallel in the his- 
tory of nations if I accept what are generally known as the 
western states. Sydney on the west, and San Francisco on 
the east, with the Anglo-Saxon empires of which they are 



28 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

the principal cities, now sway tlie shores and islands of the 
Pacific, while their numerous fleets fill its ports with all the 
luxuries of tropical climes. " China and Japan sealed for 
centuries against commerce and civilization are about to be 
forced open by the force of events." The Pacific encircles a . 
thousand isles, producing fruity spices, and other luxuries, 
while its sides are guarded by glittering mountains of gold, 
which allure thousands and tens of thousands from every 
country and from every clime, who hasten thither with 
breathless anxiety to gather up the perishable dust that lies 
above, below, and about in every direction. But those sedu- 
cing gold<^n fields lie at a great distance, which it would be 
desirable to abridge, so as to make them easily accessible. 
This will soon be accomplished by the enterprising spirit of 
the age. Rail roads cormecting Lake Superior, the Mississip- 
pi, and the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean will accomplish 
it. A rail road or canal, or perhaps both, across the Isthmus 
of Panama, are confidently spoken of. The scheme is push- 
ed forward with an earnestness of purpose which gives hope 
of its being carried into execution. Congress seems deter- 
mined to connect the Mississippi with the Pacific, by a sys- 
tem of railroads. This subject is discussed with an eamest- 
Mess commensurate with the vastness of the undertaking* 
and there is little doubt of its leading to a successful issue. 
The connection of Lake Superior and the Mississippi with 
the Pacific would open to Wisconsin an additional field of 
enterprise. The Pacific Ocean, to modern enterprise, is like- 
ly to become what the Mediterranean Sea was to ancient en- 
terprise. What a wonderful age we live in ; science is bring- 
ing the most distant parts of the earth into close proximity ; 
and the hum, clatter, and other sounds of industry are 
daily and hourly banishing silence from the wilderness. 



OP WISCONSIN. 29 

Nature seems to have worked upon a grand scale in all 
her operation in this great and wonderful country. Our / 
mountain ranges are gigantic — our rivers gigantic — our min- 
eral regions extensive — our coal fields extensive — our ^prairies 
vast — our forests vast — our trees magestic — and our lakes 
like oceans. Our people as if following nature, seem anx- 
ious to work every thing upon a large scale — witness the ex- 
tent of our canals, our railroads, and out* telegraphs — wit- 
ness our expresses, our stage coach establishments, our hotels, 
our boarding houses, and our machinery — witness our fleets 
of steam and saihng vessels, our fisheries and our commerce 
— witness the extent of our states, and the vast machinery 
of our government, and in view of all ,the mind becomes be- 
wildered how all can be accomplished in so young a country, 
and by so thin a population. When we view the extent of 
our Union, and the machinery necessary to carry out the 
laws, exact obedience, and protect life and property — when 
we consider the enormous amount of duty which devolves 
upon the different departments of the Union — when we re- 
flect on all these, and contrast their collective magnitude with 
the small amount drawn from the resources of the country 
to carry on the public service, have we not reason to rejoice 
and be thankful. The economy with which the public ser- 
vice is performed is among the many causes, that have, and 
are still, operating in our favor ; by which we are moving 
along the line of improvement, and extending the sphere of 
industrial enterprise, with a celerity which defies history to 
find a parallel. The state of the treasury shows the receipts 
for the fiscal year, ending 30th June, 1852 exclusive of 
trust fund, to be $49,728.387 ; the expenditure for the same 
period, likewise exclusive of trust funds, being $46,007,896, 
of which $9,455,815 was an account of the principal and 



30 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

interest of the public debt, including tlie last instalment of 
tbe indemnity to Mexico, leaving a balance in the treasury 
amounting to $14,632,1 36. Compare this expenditure with 
that of Great Britain, and observe the contrast. The expen- 
diture of that country for the year 1852 was 8270,000,000. 
The expense of the army and na^-y alone, of Great Britain 
amounts to $69,000,000 — far more than the aggregate ex- 
pense of our government. The estimate of the naval de- 
partment of England for 1853 exceed $30,000,000. The 
sums drawn from the funds of the country to pay the con- 
stabulary for keeping the starving Irish in check would ap- 
pear ludicurous to an American. To acquire information 
relative to this work, I traveled through four states of the 
Union last fall, and in all my journey, I did not see one sol- 
dier or one policeman.* Compare this with the standing ar- 
mies of soldiers in Great Britain and Ireland, whose support 
is drawn from the people, and mark the contrast. Compare 
the salaries of the judges, poor law commissioners, and other 
paid officers in those countries with the compensation given 
to persons filling similar offices here, and mark the diifei'- 
ence. But I mistake, we have no poor law commissioner 
here, nor are we likely to require the services of such an of- 
ficial for some time to come. Compare the sums drawn from 
the people (for every thing comes from the people) to pay 



* It is but common justice to American liberality to state, that 
in all that journey, I was passed free by Rail Road, Stage Coach, 
and Steam Boats, Candor obliges me further to state, that in alJ 
my travels through this continent, all public conveyances passed 
me along without charge. To all persons connected with these 

f)ublic conveyances, tlierefore, I tender my most grateiiil acknow- 
edgements, especially to Messrs. Davis cfe Moore, of the firm of 
Friu k & Co., proprietors of the most gigantic stage coach estab- 
lismeut perhaps in the world, and to Capt. Cotton, the prohte and 
efficient agent of the Michigan Central Rail road. 



OF WISCONSIIf. 31 

the cliurcli establisliinent there with -svhat is paid here to 
Ministers of religion, and mark the difference. Compare the 
feehngs of the people towards their respective government in 
Europe, with ours towards our government, and mark the 
difference. And lastly, compare the condition of the peo- 
ple under the different governments in Europe with ours, 
and the conclusion must be self evident. I write thus not for 
the purpose, by any means, of finding fault with the laws 
and institutions of my native country ; but simply to show, 
by comparison, the excellence of those of my adopted coun- 
try. My doctrine has always been, to submit, with perfect 
obedience, to the established laws that be. But if the es- 
tablished laws wxTC found to be bad, to remonstrate and pe- 
tition for their repeal. No party should embarass a govern- 
ment by unnecessary opposition, but all should rise up en- 
masse to remonstrate and put down corruption. I honor a 
patriot, but despise a demagogue, whose trade is agitation, 
but whose object is gain. There are too many patriots of 
this description in every country, living upon the credulity 
of the people. The discussion of the laws of England, some 
of which, if administered in the spirit in which they were made, 
are, in many respects, perfect models, forms no part of my 
plan ; but as the productive industry of every country, which 
no doubt, forms the basis of its prosperity and wealth, is close- 
ly connected with, and parth^ dependent on the laws, I mean, 
■when occasion may arise to call attention, incidentally, to the 
excellence of the Constitution of the United States, which 
though not perfect in every pailicular, as partaking of the im- 
perfection of human nature, is nevertheless, the best that ever 
was formed. It protects life and property, promotes trade and 
commerce, lends its aid to the improvement of such means of 
internal communication, as is necessary to promote the general 



32 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

inter est of the nation, by opening up the gi-eat channels of 
internal commerce, and by facilitating the frequent intercourse 
of the population. Difference of opinion, however, may 
sometimes exists as to the best means, on the part of the 
government, to promote the welfare of the nation, as regards 
its commerce, its manufacture, its trade, and other branches 
of industry, whether mental or material. This difference of 
opinion is now the su^ect of discussion between two par- 
ties in the Union, the one advocating free trade, and the 
other a protective duty to diminish competition from abroad. 
To discuss this subject in all its bearings, would take up 
more time and space than I can devote to it at present, there- 
fore I shall dismiss it now, and resume it in a subsequent 
chapter, at a more fitting time. 

TheTnext subject which I shall take up presents physical 
features, no less interesting to those seeking a home in Wis- 
consin, than to persons at a distance, who may be partial to 
natural subjects. To new settlers not wishing to encounter 
the labor and difficulty of clearing the dark dense forest to 
be seen in many parts of the far west, the natural prairie 
and oak openings present tempting inducements, which no 
one who has not seen them could immagine. The oak 
openings present all the appearance of a nobleman's demesne 
in England or Ireland, with, often, all the appearance of 
studied art in the arrangement of the stately monarchs of 
the forest, which, in general, are at such a distance apart as 
not to interfere often with the operations of the plough and 
harrow. These oak openings are sometimes seen on dry 
table land adjacent to a level forest or prairie. They some- 
times occupy sandy ridges running through a prairie. They 
in general undulate. Some of these natural parks are of 
excellent quality, most of them affording sufficient wood for 



OF WISCONSIN. 33 

fencing and firing, whicli are indispensible necessaries on a 
farm. Wisconsin Las a happy combination of prairie, oak 
openings, and wood land. Prairie land is, in general, of 
better quality tlian oak openings. Prairie laud requires no 
grubbing or clearing of any kind, preparatory to the intro- 
duction of the plough. When a prairie is rolling and limit- 
ted in extent, nothing could be more desirable for the farm- 
er, provided it adjoins woodland. But a flat extensive 
prairie of many miles presents an aspect, by no means cal- 
culated to please the eye, or satisfy the wants of the farmer. 
We have no such extensive plains however, in Wisconsin. 
Our prairies are rolling and of hmited extent, and the as- 
pect invariably diversified by a forest, an oak opening, or a 
grove, which in connection with the prairie relieves the eye, 
and renders the whole scene dehghtful. But a monotonous 
expanse, undiversified by hill and dale, and without a single^ 
object to look at, may please those who are fond of the sub- 
lime, but to me such a scene has no charms. A man stand- 
ing on the unrufled surface of the broad ocean, and out of 
the sight of land, sees before him a true picture of a prai- 
rie, with the exception of the color. And if the sea rolls, 
he sees before him a perfect representation of a rolling prai- 
rie. Foreigners very generally form very erroneous notions 
of the agricultural advantages and disadvantage of a prairie. 
Many of them are of unsurpassing fertility, but from the 
absence of hill and dale, they are generally destitute of good 
water. The want of a diversity of surface naturally occa- 
sions surface water to accumulate, which from want of mo- 
tion, becomes unwholesome and quite unfit for human use. 
In such situations, it is unnecessary to say, that the chance 
of obtaining good water within a short distance of the sur- 
face is very uncertain. The farmer occupying such a situa- 



34 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

tion generally has to dig for water to a depth varying from 
twenty-five to one hundred feet, and sometimes more. 
Should he not have one of these surface swamps on the 
farm, man and beast must be suppHed from the well, which 
is a labor of no trifling im})ort. Besides this great inconve- 
nience, the want of wood for fencing and firing is an item of 
axpense which he feels year after year. Unprotected from the 
influence of the Sun in summer, the heat is intolerable to man 
and beast ; and being exposed in winter, the cold acts with 
unmitigated fury. These are obstacles which the new com- 
er must encounter, when he takes his stand on the broad 
naked prairie. Some of these objections however, to such a sit- 
uation may, in time, be obviated, as may be seen in a subse- 
quent part of this work. A difference of opinion prevails, 
with regard to the origin of these prairies. Some are of 
opinion that neither tree nor bush ever grew on them since 
thev had been covered by the ocean ; but this could not be, 
as when they are protected, even for a short time, from the 
annual ravages of the red man's fire, trees spring up spon- 
taneously ; why then, as is often asked, does not the soil con- 
tain the roots of ancient trees, if such ever existed. The 
reason is obvious. The Indians, from time immemorial, have 
kept up their annual fires for purposes of hunting, during 
which the roots disappear. The small distance to which 
the roots penetrate the soil in this country, the heat of the 
climate in summer, the influence of the frost in winter, 
and the total absence of any anticeptic quahty in the soil 
would, in time, be sufficient to banish all traces of ancient 
roots. It is a curious fact, that when a prairie is protected 
from fire, groves of trees soon spring up. It may be 
asked how the seed comes there, or by what agency is it 
brought there ? The old theory of being brought by the 



OF WISCONSIN. 3i 

wind, by birds, or other animals is quite untenable. Thi 
trees that generally start into existance are almost invariabl; 
some s[»ecies of poplar, with occasional sprouts of crabb o 
cherr}' tree, neither of which may not be found perhap 
within many miles of the locality. Either the seed lies dor 
mant in the soil for ages, unable to exercise its natural tunc 
tions, or the chemical admixture of certain elements produc 
es under the influence of some fluid, spontaneous existence 
when a combination of favorable circumstances presents it 
self. The great author of nature, no doubt, accompiishe 
every thing, however my^iterious the operation may appea 
to us, in the best, wisest, and most suitable manner. Chem 
istry shows how dead mineral matter is organised or trans 
formed into hving compounds, in the mechanism of phmts 
and also how plants or vegetable compounds are transturme< 
into the bodies of animals. How the author of nature ac 
complishes this, it is not my business to enquire. Whe] 
a stone is let drop, it falls to the ground, and the power tha 
makes it fall, we call attraction ; but how this pjwer acts w 
know not. We can trace many natural laws pr«xlucin<x ^i^i 
ble etfects, though we may be totally ignorant of the firs 
cause or of its mode of action. We know that by mixing 
oxygen and hydrogen in certain proportions, the mixture wij 
fonn water; but how it is so, or why it is so, we know not 
As connected with this subject, it may be worthy of no 
tice, that when a forest bums out or decays, a new race o 
tree, s}>eedily springs up, quite difierent from the departe< 
srrowth. When a hemlock forest burns or decays, th' 
growth that succeeds it, is poplar, pigeon cheny, white asL 
shumack, butternut, and other trees that shed their leave 
every year. White pine is succeeded by oak and hiekor}- 
When an oak plantation is cut down in parts of Pennsylva 



36 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Ilia, spice wood springs up. I was told that a fanner in 
Ohio, cut down an oak plantation, and a variety of other 
different trees sprung up, and when these again were cut 
down, they were soon replaced by maple, which spontaneous- 
ly sprung up. It is worthy of notice, that when a stream 
abandons its course, the swamps left behind, give birth to a 
growth of cotton wood, which indeed, so far as I have seen, 
seems to thrive best in marshes bordering on rivers or 
streams. Tamarack is confined to swamps, so far as my 
knowledge of this country goes. It is stated by Professor 
Johnson, that when a forest of pines is burned down in 
Sweden, one of birch takes its place for a while ; but the 
birch is again ^ipplanted by the pine. " On the shores of 
the Rhine are seen ancient forests of oak from two to four 
hundred years old, gradually giving place at present to a 
natural growth of birch, and others where the pine is suc- 
ceeded by both." The oak and pine alternate naturally 
■with each other in many parts of this country. I have been 
told by an intelligent gentleman of much observation, that 
evergreens are invariably succeeded naturally by trees that 
drop their leaves. What a lesson is all this for the practical 
farmer, who should always take advantage of the natural 
operations continually passing before him in the wilderness. 
By paying due attention to what passes in the forest where 
Nature alone operates, the alternation of different trees and 
shrubs, would soon suggest the idea of the rotation of crops. 
In the wilderness, the soil seems to run out, and thus ex- 
hausted and unable to supply the necessary food, the present 
oTowth dies, and is succeeded by different species of trees, 
which grow luxuriantly, the extinct tribe having left an 
abundant supply in the soil fit for the nourishment of the 
new race. So is it with the plants which we raise for food. 



OY WISCONSIN. 37r 

When the soil ceases to supply the growing crop with a suf- 
ficiency of food fit for its support, another should be put in- 
to the ground which, though deficient in food fit for the for- 
mer, may, notwithstanding, contain abundance suited to the 
latter. Tlie soil contains different descriptions of food for 
the nourishment of plants, and different plants require dif- 
ferent descriptions of food ; therefore a succession of the 
same plants would ultimately exhaust the soil of that food on 
which it lived. Hence the necessity of a judicious rotation 
of crops. A poor soil without artificial manure and labor 
never produces a heavy crop, of which the practical farmer 
is well aware. The soil may be easily judged of by the 
crop. It is just so in the forest. When the trees are stunt- 
ed and scrubby, the soil is seldom good ; but when the 
^Towth is lai-ge and healthy, the soil is generally good. One 
f customed to the woods would tell at a single glance, the' 
quality of the soil, by the appearance of the trees, as well 
as the species. This subject, which I mean to resume in 
the chapter devoted to agriculture, has naturally grown out 
of the cause asigned for the origin of our prairies, which is 
the annual fires of the Indians for purposes of hunting. 
The prairie fires, v/hen the grass is long and thick, present 
some of the grandest and most terrible scenes in Nature.. 
When the grass is dry, and the wind favorable, these fires- 
spread with a fearful rapidity, rushing along with a noise 
like thunder, emitting clouds of smoke, banishing every 
quadruped, bird and creeping thing, and sometimes putting 
the unweary traveler in terror of his life ; who, to escape 
from the devouring element, sets fire to the grass around, and 
taking his stand in the burnt part, escapes the ap- 
proaching flame. Nothing is more dismal than a vast 
burnt plain, veiled over with a black pall, as an emblem, of 



38 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

death and destruction, presenting not a single object, or sign- 
of life. Tliis bleak, and black, and mournful expanse, how- 
ever, like the fabled Phoenix, soon revives in all the vigor of 
youth, robed in the liveliest green of returning spring, and 
decked with flowers of a thousand hues, giving the entire 
plain an aspect of cheerfulness and delight, calculated t» 
elevate the soul, and inspire it with a hope that after having 
performed its pilgrimage in this dark and dreary world, it 
will, at the resurrection, be raised again decked in glory. 
How different in their application are these prairie fires. 
The Indian kindles the fire to prepare for hunting; but 
Professor Espy kindles the flame to bring down rain from 
the heavens, with the view to promote vegetation in seasons 
of droughty when the crops intended for man and beast, 
show visible signs of failure. 

By means of the knowledge furnished by Mr. Espy'^s ad- 
mirable theory of storms, artificial rains may be produced un- 
der favorable circumstances of a high dew-point and a calm 
atmosphere. Mr. A. H. Jones, United States Deputy Sur- 
veyor says, that he performed many experiments in Florida, 
in seasons of great drought, and always succeeded in produ- 
cing artificial showers ; and that for some years back, far- 
mers, who became acquainted with his experiments, were in 
the habit of setting fire to the dry grass at the time they 
planted their corn, to produce rain ; and that they generally 
succeeded ; though (this being in the dry season) it is known 
no rain would otherwise occur. The modern application of 
science is working wonders every day, which warrants the 
general belief that the " world is rapidly advancing." In 
discussing the subject of the natural phenomena of the state, 
I shall resume my .observations on the storms, and on thd 
manner of producing artificial rains, on an extensive scale; 



OP WISCONSIN. 39 

The peculiar circumstances of this country has given rise 
to various machinery to abridge labor. The farmer far 
removed from town, where he could receive the services of a 
tradesman, ha.s often to supply his own wants, by attempting 
to accomplish what legitimately was the tradesman's business, 
and being often put to Kis " wits ends" for want of tools, he 
frequently hits upon a device that afterwards proves valuable; 
thus verifying the proverb, that "necessity is the mother of 
invention." Necessity dri\'es thousands to do and invent ma- 
ny things which, under different circumstances, they never 
could think of. It was this necessity that gave birth to nu- 
merous inventions of daily use in every house in this coun- 
try. It was necessity arising out of the peculiar circum- 
st.inces of the country that has suggested the idea of substi- 
tuting various descriptions of machinery to abridge labor. 
Though unskilled labor is much higher here than in any 
part of the old country, yet by the substitution of suitable 
machinery, articles of necessity and comfort are manufac- 
tured here much cheaper than in any part of the old coun- 
try that I was acquainted with. Chairs, window blinds, 
sashes, doors, pails, stoves, and numerous other articles of 
every day use, are sold here for one-half, and in some casesi 
for one-third what they could be made for in England or 
Ireland, where labor is so much cheaper. 

The scarcity and high price of labor in this country make 
the use of machinery indispensible. And though this is 
quite apparent, yet I have heard numbers cry out against 
the use of machinery, as calculated to diminish the demand 
for labor, and throw thousands out of employment, who 
perhaps might be the only support of large and helpless 
families. But as in the case of free trade, for every one 
that is injirsed by the introduction of machinery, hundreds 



40 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

and thousands are benefited. The thousands of scrlviners 
the art of printing banished from the desk, were but as 
chaff, when put in competition with the inculculable benefit 
cooiferred on mankind by that happy discovery. The im- 
proved process of manufacturing nails, reduced all the 
nailers, already too poor, to a stale of beggary ; and the 
2X)wer-loom and spinning-jenny drove before them multi- 
tudes into the gulf of poverty, distress, and misery. But 
though large numbers suffered by these innovasion^ mil- 
lions have been, are, and will continue, to be benefited. 
Every great improvement to abridge labor never fails to 
cause temporary distress among the particular class of oper- 
atives whose business it performes; therefore, the govern- 
ment of every country ought to provide at once for the 
support of that class. And though I am. sorry to say that 
the working classes are often allowed to pine away in 
misery, yet under no circumstance should those great dis- 
coveries, which transfer the superintendance of labar from 
the hand to the mind, be lost to posterity. But as posterity 
is not likely to do much for the discarded operatives, the 
government, the manufacturer, and the humane of every 
class ought to alleviate their distress, ^ I have lived in the 
G;reat age of discovery myself, and witnessed a fearful 
amount of human suffering arising from the introduction 
of improved machinery ; but in this country, no such evil 
is to be apprehended. In Great Britain and Ireland, one 
educated for a .particular trade or a profession is scarcely 
ever fit for any employment out of that, for which he had 
been instructed ; but it is not so here. Here, one may follow 
four or five different trades or professions through life, with- 
out feeling any inconvenience fi-om the change of one trade, 
or profession to another, I met an old gentleman in Illinois 



OF WISCONSIN. 41: 

who told me he commenced the world as a cow-herd, which 
occupation he changed for the plough, which again he 
dtianged for school-teaching, from which occupation he went 
to the bar, from the bar to the practice of physic, and 
thence to the pulpit. 

Before I came to America, I was impressed with the 
justice of England's claim to superiority in everything con- 
nected with machinery, and to the supremacy of the ocean; 
but every day convinces me more and more, that precon- 
ceived notions had led me into an error. For a vefy long 
time all nations acceded to England a high degree of supe- 
riority over all the maratime countries with which she had 
any intercourse. Her knowledge of ship building, and her 
general mechanical skill, were the admiration of the world. 
This, however, is no longer the case; America now lays 
claim to the supremacy of the seas, and England acknowl- 
edges the right. An extract from a paper read by Mr. 
Scott, before the Royal Institution, London, does equal 
justice to his own candor and to American ingenuity. 
" The subject placed on the list for consideration this evening? 
has been suggested by the assertion which w^ithin a year or 
two has been so often repeated, that our trans-atlantic 
brethren are building better ships than ourselves ; that, in 
short. Brother Jonathan is going ahead, while John Bull is 
comfortably dozing in his arm-chair, and that if he do not 
wake speedily, and take a sound survey of his true position, 
he may find himself hopelessly astern. Two questions of a 
practical nature arise out of this alarming assertion : First, 
Whether the Americans are really in any respect superior 
to the English in nautical matters. Second, Whether in 
order to equal them, we are to be compelled to descend into 
mere imitations, or whether we have independent ground 



42 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

from which we can start with certainty and originahty on a 
new course of improvement in Naval Architecture ? In 
the outset I beg permission to say, that I am not one of 
those who shut their eyes to the praises of our young and 
enterprising brethren over the water, or view their rapid 
advancement with jealousy. I beg to express my perfect 
belief in the accounts we have heard of their wonderful 
achievements in rapid steam navigation. I am satisfied as 
a matter of fact, that twenty-one and twenty-three miles an 
hour have been performed, not once, but often, by their 
river steamers. To that we cannot in this country offer any 
parallel. The next point in which they have beaten us 
was, in the construction of the beautiful packet ships which 
cai-ried on the passenger trade betwedti Liverpool and 
America, before the era of ocean steam^ers. These were the 
first ships in the world, and they were mainly owned and 
sailed by Americans. 

The next point in which we have come into competion 
with the Americans has been lately in ocean steam naviga- 
tion. Three years ago they began. They were immeas- 
urably behind us at that time, but they are already nearly 
equal to us. Their trans-atlantlc steamers equal ours in 
bad weather and speed. In regularity, they are still our 
superiors. If they continue to advance at their present rate 
of improvement, they will soon outstrip us. Next I come 
to the trade which has long been principally our own — the 
China trade. The clipper ships which they recently have 
sent to that country have astonished the fine ships of our 
Greens and our Smiths. Our best ship owners are trem- 
bling for their trade and reputation. Finally, it is true, 
that Americans have sent over to England a yacht, called 
the American, which has foimd on this side of the Atlantic 



OF WISCONSIN. 43 

no match; and we only escaped the disgrace of our not 
having the courage to accept her defiance through the chiv- 
alry of one gentlemen who accepted the challenge, with a 
yacht of half the size, on this principal so worthy of John 
Bull, that the Yankee, although he might say that he had 
beaten us, should not be able to say that we had all run 
away. Such then at present is our actual position in the 
matter of ships, yachts, and steam navigation — a position 
liighly creditable to the Americans, and which deserves our 
serious consideration. I propose to examine a little into 
the physical causes of the naval success of the Americans ; 
but before doing so, permit me to point out a moral one, 
which later in the evening you will :flnd .to be at the bottom 
of the principal causes. It is this, John Bull has a preju- 
dice against novelty; Brother Jonathan has a prejudice 
equally sti-ong in favor of it. We adhere to tradition in 
trade, manners, customs, professions, humors — Jonathan 
despises it. I do not say he is right, and we are wrong; 
but this diffei^nce becomes very important, when a race of 
competition is to be run. These preliminary remarks find 
immediate application in the causes which have led to our 
loss of character on the sea. 

The Americans constantly on the alert, have carried out 
and applied every new discovery to the advancement ol 
navigation ; while with the English, naval construction and 
seaman-ship is exactly that branch of practice in which 
science has not only been disregarded, but is altogether de- 
spised and set aside. The Americans show what can be 
done by modern science, and unflinchingly put it into 
practice ; we show what can be done in spite of science and 
in defiance of its principles. It appears from the compari- 
son that was instituted between American and Enochs I" 



44 INDUSTRIAL KE SOURCES' 

vessels, that the- American ship-builders ha^e gained over the- 
English, chiefly by the ready abandonment of old systems 
and the adoption of trae principles of science, and tiie most 
modern discoveries. They have changed their fashions of 
steamers and ships to meet new circumstances as they arise. 
For river steamers, they at onc« abandoned all the well- 
known sea-going forms, and created absohitely a new form 
and general arrangement both of ship and macliinery. We 
on the other hand, subject to the prejudice of a class, invari- 
ably attempted to make a river steamer to resemble as much 
as possible a sea-going ship propelled by sails. We were 
even for a long time so much ashamed of our jDaddle-wheels 
that we adopted all sorts of inconvenient forms and inapt 
artifices to conceal them, as if it were a high ashievement 
to make a steam vessel to be mistaken for a sailing vessel.. 
The first sharp bows which the wave principle has brought 
to our knowledge, have been adopted in this country with 
the greatest reluctance, and those who adopt them are often 
unwilling to allow they are wave-bows, and would feign 
assert that they always built them so, were it not that the 
ship lines are able to speak for tliemselves. The Americans,, 
however, adopted the wave-bow without reluctance, and 
avowed it with pleasure, the moment they found it to give 
economy and speed. In like manner, the Americans having 
found the wave-line or hollow-bow good for steamers, were 
quite ready to believe it might be equally good for sailing 
vessels. We,, on the other hand, have kept on asserting,. 
that though we could not deny its efficacy for steamers, it 
would never do for vessels that were meant to carry sails.. 
The Americans on the contrary, tried it on their pilot boats,, 
and finding it succeeded there, avowed at once, in their latest 
treatises on Naval Architecture, the complete success of the^ 



OF WISCONSIN. 45 

principle ; net even disclaiming its Britisli origin. To prove 
to ourselves our insensibility to its advantages — they built 
the America, carried out the wave principle to the utmost, 
and despising the prejudices and antiquated regulations of 
our clubs, came over and beat us. The diagrams and 
models which were exhibited, showed the water-lines of the 
America to coincide exactly with the theoretical wave-line. 
In another respect, the Americans showed their implicit 
faith in science and disregard of prejudice. Theor^^ says 
and has always said, "sails should sit as flat as boards," we 
said they should be cut so as to hang in graceful waves. 
It has always been so; we have always done it. The 
Americans believed in principles and with flat sails, went one 
point nearer to the wind, leaving j^rejudice and picturesque 
far to the leeward. In other points, the Americans beat us 
by the use of science. They use all the refinement of 
science in their rigging and tackle ; they, it is true, have to 
employ better educated and more enlightened men — they 
do so ; and by employing a smaller number of hands, beat 
us in efficiency as well as in economy." This article does 
equal justice to the discriminating judgment and strict can- 
dor of Mr. Scott, as well as to the undoubted right of the 
Americans to the supremacy of the ocean, gained no doubt 
by placing implicit faith in naval architectural science, and 
by taking early advantage of every circumstance which 
chance threw in their way. Milwaukee is peculiarly wel 
circumstanced as regards convenience and materials for ship- 
building. On the spot may be found the best oak and 
lumber of every description in the greatest abundance^ 
while the Milwaukee water basin affords excellent sites for 
building both wet and dry docks. Buffalo, Chicago, or in- 
deed any other lake town, presents no such advantages to 



46 INDUSTRIAL RES©FSGE» 

the ship builder m these respects, as Milwaukee. They ^;illy, 
no doubt, be taken advantage of by some enterprising capi- 
tahst of skill. I am happy to see that a company is being, 
formed to build six propellers of the largest class, which 
are to be employed daring the approaching season (1853) be- 
tween Milwaukee and Butialo. This line of propellors, in 
connection with a net- work of rail and plank roads, radiat- 
ing from the city of Milwaukee in every direction, lis far as 
the Mississippi,, cannot fail to advance the interests of our 
citizens, as well as those of the miners, agriculturists, and 
other classes throuo^hout the state. Manitowac is likewise 
very favorably situated for ship building, and I am glad tc^ 
see that the enterprising citizens of that rising village are 
taking advantage of their position. Several fine vessels 
have been built at that place, and another will be ready to 
take to her native element early in the coming spring. 
Green Bay is another point, that must in time be occupied 
by ship yards, when the navigation of the Fox and Wis- 
consin rivers is open. Racine and Kenosha have sufficient 
facilities for building all their own sailing crafts. "VVe ought 
to appreciate our advantages here,, when we see immense 
quantities of timber every year sent to the ship yards of 
New York, a distance of twelve hundred miles. 

From what has been said in this article, it will be seen 
how important it is to have a knowledge of science, which 
is closely connected with almost every branch of industry 
in which we are engaged. Under the existing condition of 
this country, only few can afford to devote time to the 
acquirement of an extensive course of education, therefore, 
the time set apart for educational purposes should be de- 
voted to those branches of learning, bearing directly on the 
pursuit in which the individual is to be engaged. Two ele^ 



OF WISCONSIN. 47 

ments are essential to the perfection of an industrial educa- 
tion — science and practice. Science leads to practical emi- 
nence. A man may be very dexterous in the management 
of his tools, but totally ignorant of the principles on which 
his practice rests. Such a man can never rise to eminence 
in any important department of his business. Watt could 
never have brought the steam engine to tlie degree of per- 
fection in which he left it, had he not been acquainted with 
the principles of science. Lord Ross had to invoke the aid 
of science in the improvement of his wonderful telescope, 
which leads to infinities of space and faintness — which 
places the traveler on mountain top, where foot never trod — 
which shows the sailor his place in the deep, and the object 
of his pursuit in the gloom of night — which shows the stars 
whose faint light is lost in the sun shine — carries us beyond 
our own abode, and in the glimses it gives us of the condi- 
tion of other worlds, adds a mighty voice to the acclaim in 
which the "firmament declares the glory of God." 

Science alone perfects art : therefore, it ought to hold the 
first rank in all our seminaries of education. Throughout 
this work it will be seen, that science is the fountain from 
which all our practical knowledge is drawn. Without sci- 
ence we could only grope in the dark in pursuit of the hid- 
den treasures with which our mineral regions abound — re- 
gions of vast extent, great variety, and peculiar richness in 
mineral character, rendering the geology of the State of 
peculiar interest, not only in a geological point ot view, but 
as regards profit and industrial labor also. In contemplat- 
ing the subject of geology, one is constrained to exclaim 
what mighty things are revealed by the silent hand of time ! 
When the eye of the geologist pierces the earth, guides the 
way to its hidden treasures and reads its petrified pages, on 



48 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

which are legibly written the geological epochs of the world 
and the history of its many changes before it assumed its 
present condition, he shall see that during most of which it 
was unfitted to support the present forms, either of animal 
or vegetable life. He shall likewise see that during these 
changes, it was manifestly the habitation of successive races, 
which disappeared from existence at the change of each 
period, most possessing only remote analogies to any crea- 
ture now living, and that these relations seem to increase, 
till he finds in the foundations, which are considered most 
rceent, remains of animals, nearly allied to the present races. 
Man, however, forms an exceptionn ever having been 
found fossil, which proves that he was called into ex- 
istence later than any geological epoch. By the help 
of the microscope, he may read in the pages of geolo- 
gical history, that many mountains and rocks are en- 
tirely composed of evanescent atoms, which once had life, 
that this very State was once the bed of the ocean, that 
large drifts consisting of clay, gravel, rounded stones of va- 
rious sizes, and Urge boulders, have been driven by ocean 
currents, and deposited in various parts of the State, 
that the action of water wore away the solid rocks in some 
places to the depth of several hundred feet, that subterra- 
nean force lifted up certain limited spots and whole districts ; 
that granite and other igneous rocks, were thrown up in a 
molten state; that volcanic action once exerted itself in some 
of the regions occupied by some of our large lakes, and by 
groups of lakes, for which the northern portion of this 
State is remarkable ; that the waters of the Mississippi have 
worn down its bed to the depth of a thousand feet or mores, 
and that some of its tributaries have acted in a similar way. 
These and a thousand other phenomena, which will be 



OV WISC0N^SIN% 49 

described hereafter, characterize the geology of Wisconsin, 
giving it a degree of interest unequalled in hut few of the 
States. While the north seems to have been the theater of 
volcanic action, as may be seen from the number and variety 
of its primitive rocks and other visible evidences, the 
southern portion of the State seems to have suffered little 
from the agency of subteiTanean force, but the surface of 
these portions show am.ple evidence of the action of water. 
Wisconsin is peculiarly characterized by the number and 
variety of its ancient monumental remains, proving the ex- 
istence of a people, who in very remote antiquity, inhabited 
North America, but of whom nothing is known, except 
what can be gleaned from such of their labors as have been 
spared by the devastating hand of time. Silliman's Jour- 
nal contains some valuable notices of Indian mounds in 
Wisconsin, by R. C. Taylor, Esq.; and our indefatigable 
townsman, I. A. Lapham, Esq., is preparing an elaborate 
work on the same subject, which coming from such a source 
cannot fail of being highly interesting. Mr. Lapham has 
devoted much time and labor to the antiquities of Wiscon- 
sin, and I have no doubt but the minute details which he 
will exhibit, will be the means of throwing some light upon 
the history and character of that departed race, of whom 
even tradition is totally ignorant. The smallest circumstance 
connected with the remains of antiquity often gives a clue 
to valuable discoveries, leading to the solution of problems, 
enveloped in the cobweb which the lapse of ages throws 
around them. As an illustration of this remark, I might 
mention two circumstances bearing concurrent testimony to 
the fact, that the architects of these Wisconsin mounds 
must have come from Asia. A mound has been discovered 
at Cassviile, on the Mississippi, which is supposed to have a 



50 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

trunk iike thai of an elephant, whicli goes to prove that 
Asia must have been the country from which that departed 
race had derived their origin. Another fact related by Mr, 
Taylor, of which there is no doubt, beai-s additional testi- 
mony to the Asiatic origin of that people. A monument 
representing the human form lies in an east and west direc- 
tion near the Blue Mounds, with the arms and leg's extended^ 
the head lying toward the west, and the feet toward the east. 
This is the direction in which the Irish are invariably buried ; 
and what had given rise to the practice must be referred to a 
peiiod antecedent to the introduction of Christianity into Ire- 
land. Before the introduction of Christianity into Ireland, by 
her patron saint, that country as well as Britain, was the slave 
of idolatry, woi-shipping numerous deities, and among them, 
the rising sun. This circumstance led to the practice of 
burying the dead with the face east, towards the rising sun^ 
This practice as well as numerous others, to which the Irish 
(and Scotch) cling to this day, with that national ardency 
so peculiar to them, was derived from their ancesioi-s — the 
Phoenicians, a people inhabiting the eastern coast of the 
Mediterranean Sea, on the confines of Palestine. Should 
another monument be found of the human form, occupying 
the Cardinal points, like that at the Blue Mounds, it would 
add another link to the chain connecting the ancient tribes 
of AYisconsin and the first Irish settlers, with one and the 
same country — Phoenicia. The following incident relating 
to the sepulchral rites of the Indians, is an additional proof 
of their oriental origin. Cooper, the Walter Scott of 
America, speaking of the Chief Uncas, says in his " Last of 
the Mohicans," " The body was deposited in an attitude of 
repose, facing the rising sun, with the implements of war 
and the chase at hand.'' The state of the industrial arts 



OF WISCONSIN. 51 

among the aneient people of this westorn countrT, as gath- 
ered from a few rude drawings, representing the mode of 
spinning, weaving, <fec., is related to a problem of American 
Ethnology of peculiar increasing interest. In this country, 
instead of dwelling on the past, every one looks to the fu- 
ture. Every American goes right ahead without ever look- 
ing behind. In Europe, an antiquarian will spend days 
and years in the investigation of the remaining vestiges of 
vanished pomp and grandeur, here the object of eager pur- 
suit is the coming power and gain. In Europe an antiqua- 
rian would feel himself well rewarded by the discovery of a 
glass bead after a weeks search, among the rubbish in the 
ruins of Pompeii ; here nothing is sought with eager anxi- 
-ety, but the dollar. Hence it is, that the Wisconsin Mounds 
are passed without notice, except by a few. Only very few 
will take the trouble, or spare time to bestow a thought on 
the origin or history of these curious monuments. Gen- 
eral Smith, who is at present engaged in writing a history 
of Wisconsin, thinks they are heraldric emblems, similar to 
the coat of arms and crests, at present worn by different 
distinguished families in Europe. 

There is sufficient evidence to prove that a people once 
inhabited this country that worked in brass, which probably 
was first known as a metal employed for tools. A copper 
instrument was found not long since, about two feet under 
the roots of a pine tree, in the town of Stevens Point, Port- 
age county. It had the incontestible evidence of having 
been moulded. One end was rather sharp, and the other 
had the appearance of having been blunted by use. It pre- 
sented somewhat the appearance of a drilling machine. 

Having given this introductory notice of some of the 
subjects to be hereafter discussed in detail .1 shall next tak« 



52 INDUSTRIAL BESOUilCES 

up a subject intimately connected witli the welfare of every 
civilized community. This subject is the fuel at our com- 
mand in Wisconsin. But before I enter upon this new sub- 
ject, it may be necessary for me, by way of apology, to say 
that the subject of the Wisconsin Mounds has been intro- 
duced merely to gratify the curiosity of Europeans, who 
feel a deep interest in such matters. Though these ancient 
monuments have nothing to do with the industrial resources 
of the State, yet for the reason above assigned, I thought,, 
that a few pages devoted to them may not be considered 
entirely out of place. 



CHAPTER II 



The industrial resources of every nation depend princi 
pally on its natural resources. Where nature supplies the 
raw material in great abundance, and also the power to 
fashion that material into form for our own use, is (all other 
things being equal) in general, the best field for active labor. 
The locality rich in iron ore, and coal to prepare the metal, 
to receive from the mould a thousand different forms, ac- 
cording to the different purposes it may be required to serve, 
is always favorable to the economical manufacture of that 
most useful, and indeed, indispensible article. Hence it is, 
that many parts of England and Scotland containing iron 
and coal, which often accompany each other, are celebrated 
for their iron works. The same remark applies to Pitts- 
burgh, the Birmingham of America. There was, how^ever, 
a time when iron was an article of export from Ireland to 
England and Scotland. The cause that led to this profita- 
ble branch of industrial labor has lonjr since ceased to exist 
in Ireland. Some two hundred years ago, the same process 
was employed in both countries to manufacture iron, the 
fuel used in the process being wood charcoal, which soon 
became too scarce for manufacturing purposes in England 



54 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

which, therefore had to draw upon Ireland where the »upplj 
of wood was still sufficient for manufacturing purposes till 
about a century ago, when the forests disappeared there also. 
As soon as the denuded state of the country denied a sup- 
ply of wood for fuel, the manufacture of iron had to be 
abandoned in Kerry, the last j^lace in Ireland that used wood 
charcoal in the manufacture of iron. All this goes to 
prove the truth of the general principle — that the industrial 
resources of every country depend principally on her natu- 
ral resources. When nature ceased to supply the necessary 
supply of fuel in England, she had to import iron from 
Ireland, and when the forests of Ireland became exhausted, 
she also had to abandon a lucrative branch of her industry. 
Iron being indispensible to an advanced state of the arts, 
and England anxious to attain a high position, with a view 
to the profits derivable from an article in such universal de- 
mand, set to work in order to find a substitute for wood 
charcoal, which the naked state of the country refused any 
longer to supply. Mr. Dudley, a native of England, soon 
supplied this great desideratum, by invoking the aid of sci- 
ence, which upon all such occasions ought to be brought 
into requsition. Had not this man made the fortunate dis- 
covery — ^that coke may be substituted for charcoal, in the 
smelting of iron, "the condition of industry which gave 
field to Watt and Arkwright, could scarcely have existed." 
From the rapid increase of population requiring increased 
consumption of fuel for various domestic purposes, the 
forests on the continent of Europe are rapidly wasting away, 
by which the economical manufacture of iron, by means 
of wood, must be confined to those countries where a limited 
population admits large tracts of forests to continue to grow, 
as in some of the countries of the north of Europe, on 



OF WISCONSIN. 59 

which England would be dependent for iron now, had not 
the discovery of Dudley rescued her from such dependance. 
Though this man's discovery has made England the indus- 
trial sovereign of ah the world, yet that country has allowed 
his name to paas from this world to a better unhon- 
ored. The position I assume at the starting point, and the 
conclusion I arrive at will show why I enter into the his- 
tory of the iron manufactures in England: therefore, I shall 
be forgiven for the digi-ession. Heat being an essential 
agent to give hquidity to solid substances, and bring into 
active 02)eratiou those wonderful chemical aflinities which 
may be said to alter the very constitution of, and form new 
products from, substances apparently different, the fuel from 
which heat is produced must necessarily enter largely as an 
element of calculation into the gain or loss on such indus- 
trial operations. Heat is also required to convert water into 
steam, in order to create power and produce motion, by 
which cotton, flax, wool, and other fabrics may be spun and 
woven into cloth. Of all the elements of power, placed at 
our disposal by the hand of God, none is so extensive in its 
application as that of heat, which is employed, not only in 
all the chemical and metallurgic arts, but also in creating 
power which has effected a revolution in all the arts, from 
the simple operation of turning a spit in the kitchen to that 
of propelling the largest vessel through the pathless ocean, or 
the most ponderous train through lengthened space, traced 
out by iron tracks properly laid to guard against danger 
and secure safety. By the agency of steam generated by 
heat, wonderful effects are produced, which are profitable, 
partly in proportion to the cost of fuel. When nature sup- 
plies the power to give motion to machinery at a less cost 
than that created by heat, that power of course, if equally 



53 INDUiTRIL RESOURCES 

effective is to be preferred. A locality possessing water 
privileges is to be chosen in preference to one destitute of 
such natural advantages, as it effects a considerable saving 
to the manufacturer. In the most favored parts of Eng- 
land as regards fuel, water power effects a saving of from 
five hundred to eight hundred per cent., as compared with 
steam, which upon a large outlay would, in the course of a 
year amount to a considerable sum. For the transmission 
of heavy goods, water carriage would be found more eco- 
nomical than any other placed at our disposal by the agency 
of steam : therefore, navigable rivers, seas, and lakes are 
favorable to the commerce and general industry of every 
country, especially, when the transmission of heavy goods to 
a distance becomes necessary. The economy of water car- 
riage is strikingly illustrated by a comparison of what is 
now paid per ton, from New York to Milwaukee by water 
and land. 

The following list of terms charged from I^ew York to 
Milwaukee both by land and water, shows exactly the 
relative cost : 

On rail road from New York to Buffalo, or Dunkirk and 
Lake Erie and Michigan, on dry goods, per hundred 

pounds ------- ^1,60 

Iron and nails by the same route, per hundred pounds 0,90 

Groceries bj the same route, per hundred pound - - 1.15 
From New York, via Erie Canal and steamer, via chain of 

lakes — dry goods, per hundred pounds - - - 0,90 

Iron and nails, per hundred pounds - - - 0.50 

Groceries, per hundred pounds - - - - 0,75 

By this list of charges it is seen that on an average, the 
cost of transmission by land is nearly double the cost by 
water ; and the ratio would be still greater, were it not for 
the competition on the railway route. It may be further ob- 
served that aU the way from New York to Milwaukee is not 



OF WISCONSIN. 57 

tra\eled by land, as Lakes Erie and Michigan are included 
in the distance. When the entire distance from New York 
to Milwaukee is traveled by rail road, the relative cost of 
transporting heavy goods by water and land, will probably 
be as one to three. The profits derived from the agricultu- 
ral industry of a country depend in a great measure on the 
natural advantages peculiar to it. The same amount of 
labor expended on a good rich suil, in every way suited to 
agriculture, may produce a profit many times as great as on 
a poor sickly soil ill-suited to the purpose. Equal qualities 
of land ditferently circumstanced, as to convenience ox 
manure, water carriage, and markets, will invariably leave 
unequal profits to the farmer. One fai-m within a few rods 
of sea weed, shell sand, marl, or other suitable manure, may 
yield a profit many times that of another of similar quality,, 
situated at a distance from those manuring and renovating 
substances. In a similar way, it may be showm, that where 
nature is bountiful in supplying fuel, water power, and abun- 
dance of natural products, and also, in presenting other na- 
tural advantages, industrial labor will be rewarded in much 
a higher degree than where she dispenses them with a nig- 
gardly hand. It may then be assumed, that the natural re- 
sources of a nation are the true source of its wealth, when 
the active hand of labor is brought to bear upon them, with- 
out which, however, many of them may remain altogether 
useless, or be at best but of little ^•alue. As the prosperity 
of every country depends chiefly on its natural products and 
advantages, it may be necessary to discuss the problem 
which shows how to utilitize them, so as to derive the great- 
est possible gain from the time, labor, and money expended 
on them. The solution of this most important problem 
will necessarily involve economy of labor and expense of 



58 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

every kind in converting all these natural products to their 
respective ultimate uses. To economize labor, machinery 
and mechanical skill are essential — knowledge of the po- 
perties, nature and constitution of the objects, on which we 
operate is essential, without which much time, labor and ex- 
pense may be thrown away to no purpose. The compara- 
tive expense of the transmission of produce by water, rail 
road, or plank road, or by the ordinary roads of the country, 
ought to form an item in the calculation of gain or loss. 
These and a thousand other elements entering into the solu- 
tion of the great problem relating to the utilization of the 
unsurpassing natural resources of the State of Wisconsin, 
require a knowledge varied and extensive. In the subse. 
quent part of the work I mean to examine all industrial ob- 
jects available in the State. 

In this examination, it will appear that nature has placed 
before us in Wisconsin a wider and richer field for the 
active exercise of profitable labor, than is perhaps to be 
found in any other State of the Union. We have fuel in 
exhaustless quantities in our forests for domestic and indus- 
trial purposes, and that too at a cost in some places, less than 
coal can be procured for in any part of the Union. The al- 
most total absence of stagnant swamps — the rolling charac- 
ter of the surface — the numerous running streams of crys- 
tal purity — the proximity of our ocean lakes on two sides 
^nd the father of waters on the third, with the navigable 
-waters of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers running through it, 
•equalizing the temperature, and giving motion to the aerial 
■currents — and the cloudless sky of Wisconsin must neces- 
sarily render it one of the most healthful States in the 
Union and best adapted to European constructions. Add 
to these the quality of the soil, the facilities of navigation 



OF WISCONSIN. 59 

afforded by its surrounding lakes, and by tbetwo kist named 
rivers, dividing it diagonally, and terminating at the Miss- 
issippi on the south west, and at Green Bay on the 
north east, thus opening a channel of communication with 
southern and eastern markets, and the State of Wisconsin 
cannot be surpassed as regards its adaptation to all agri- 
cultural purposes. Spangled with lakes and interspersed 
with prairies, oak openings and wood lands, possessing edu- 
cational advantages, creditable to so young a State, and a 
climate unexceptionable; it is no wonder that the rapid 
growth of its cities and towns ; of its trade and commerce ; 
of its manufacturing industry and population should become 
the admiration of the age. , A re-action however, has re- 
cently taken place — the progressive improvement of the 
State has been checked by a combination of circumstanc€« 
which cannot last but for a moment. As soon as the causes 
that produced this re-action shall have been removed, the 
prosperity of the country must return. It might bo con- 
sidered out of my province to enter into the details of all 
the combined circumstahces that brought about the tempo- 
rary difficulty in which the State is at present (1850) in- 
volved, but I do it with a view to point out a remedy, and 
also, to prevent strangers from falling into the same error 
which tended to create this difficulty. 

We cannot conceal the fact, that the elements of nature 
have been unpropitious to us for the last two or three years. 
The fall of snow during that time having been too scanty, 
our winter wheat crops have been miserably deficient in 
quantity as well as quality, the deterioration in quality how- 
ever being the consequence of an over-supply of rain dur- 
ing the last harvest, which superinduced rust and other dis- 
eases injurious to the grain. This deficiency in quantity 



60 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

and quality, and the low price of wheat in our market, 
consequent on tlie glutted state of the English markets, 
have crippled the farming community, and rendered many 
of them unable to meet demands, which under more favor- 
able circumstances would weigh but lightly on them. The 
farmer's profits having been thus curtailed by untoward cir- 
cumstances, over which under his present management, he 
could have no control, the store-keeper and others depend- 
ing on his custom must necessaaily feel the effects. The 
failure of our winter wheat crop is only the natural result 
of those unpropitious seasons, which the most favored coun- 
tries in Europe and America have often experienced. A 
more advanced state of agricultural knowledge would ena- 
ble the farmer to obviate some of these evils resulting from 
climate. To protect the seed from the killing effects of the 
winter frosts, it would be well to choose a favorable aspect 
for winter wheat, where the ground may be sheltered from 
the pernicious effects of win 1 and weather. It would like- 
wise be a great improvement upon the present system to 
BOW the seed in drills, as affording a better protection from 
the frost than the present j^lan usually employed in this 
country of sowing the seed broad-cast, which from the light 
covering of soil over the grain affords little or no protection 
to the seed. I have seen the truth of these remarks verified 
in several places last year, but in no place so strikingly as 
in the township of Menomonee, Wankesha county. The 
wheat was sown in drills, after having been ploughed suffi- 
ciently deep ; the field was protected from the north west 
wind by rising ground covered with a thick forest ; the land 
"was of good quahty ; and the crop was most abundant, but 
suffered from the effects of the heavy rains that fell before 
it was cut. It would be advisable that the farmers of Wis- 



OF WISCONSIN. 61 

consin sliould try other crops than -vvlieat, wliich seems to 
be the only one they are anxious to raise, on account of its 
commanding a cash price in all our markets. 

While I am on this subject, it may be well to mention 
that our farmers should raise more stock and cultivate a 
greater variety of crops than they do at present. Horned 
cattle, horses, sheep, and hogs, could be raised in great abun- 
dance in our State, which is admirably suited to the growth 
and perfection of all and every one of these species of farm- 
ing stock; and the facility afforded of transmitting these 
to a good market by our lakes and rivers, and soon by 
rail roads, ought to induce the farmer to vary his system 
from what is at present but very precarious and not very pro- 
fitable, to what he is sure would be highly remunerative. 
Barley would pay well here and in the eastern markets ; a 
greater breadth of soil should therefoi-e be devoted to that 
article than is at present. Besides, the partial failure of the 
winter wheat crop, another cause has contributed to the de- 
pression generally felt throughout the country at present. 
Immigrants from Europe, tempted by the low price of land 
in this country, as compared with the prices in those they 
left, too frequently purchases a larger quantity of land than 
they are able to pay for ; giving a mortgage for the balance 
at high rates of interest. "When pay day comes round, they, 
in too many cases, are unprepared to meet the demand by 
the produce of their farm : therefore, they are obliged to 
raise money at such an enormous rate of interest as must 
prove ruinous in the end. This keeps the farmer poor all 
his life, except an improvement takes place in his crops and 
in the market prices. No one should purchase more land 
than he is able to pay for, nor should he under any circum- 
stance leave himself without the means of working his 



62 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

farm, as land is of little value without tlie means of culti- 
vating it. There is no use in paying taxes on land which 
produces nothing. For these reasons, I would recommend 
to every one to pay down for his land, and keep as much 
money as will enable him to work it to advantage. He 
must have a plough, a harrow, a spade, and other imple- 
ments of husbandry, besides a team of horses, or a yoke of 
oven. He will besides, require milk, butter, seed, and other 
necessaries for the use of his farm and family, till his crops 
«3ome round. Let him at all events keep out of debt, as no 
return which the farm will make the first year can enable 
Iiim to pay the enormous interest demanded in this western 
country. The truth of what I have stated here is proved 
by the vast number of mortgages that have been foreclosed 
during the year just past, in all these western states, owing 
to the insatiable desire of getting more land than people are 
able to pay for. Before I conclude this chapter, it may be 
useful to point out another mistake generally committed by 
rhe farmers of Wisconsin. Besides the propensity of pur- 
chasing too much land, they invariably manifest too great a 
desire to till more than they ought, which is a fallacy, not 
however so ruinous in its results as that of buying more 
than they can pay for. It is a mistake to till more than 
what can be done well, as ten acres well ploughed, thoroughly 
drained, and carefully managed and attended to in the pro- 
gress of its growth, will leave more profit than thirty scraped 
over and left to chance after. I have seen the truth of this 
proved in many parts of this State, but in no place so fully 
as in the outskirts of Milwaukee, where an industrious and 
skillful German makes more of an acre than a country farm- 
er does of five. This ought to be a useful lesson to our 
farmers. They should manifest a greater desire to cultivate 



OP WISCONSIN. 63 

.1 small quantity well, than a large quantity badly, as by 
doing so, they would be sure of deriving a greater profit 
from their labor and outlay of capital. Looking to the 
present condition of Wisconsin, it must be admitted, that 
for many yeai-s to come her staple industry must be agricul- 
ture, therefore, it becomes the imperative duty of those poss- 
essing the power and influence to provide instruction for the 
jKJople in that branch of industry. Instruction precedes 
improvement:, hence the State is bound to provide the farm- 
er with the means of acquiring knowle<ige, without which 
he is sure to follow in the footsteps of his father. This 
knowledge sliould be imparted to the boy at school, where 
he ought to be instructed practically, how to turn every 
tiling to the best possible advantage. Nothing would tend 
to advance the interest of the State more than to connect 
agricultural instruction with the usual course already adopted 
in all our common schools, as well as in all our college* 
throughout the State. This may be done without infring- 
ing materially on the funds, which, so far as the common 
schools are concerned, are ample for all purposes. In a sub- 
sequent part of the work I mean to resume this subject, 
and show how the plan may be effectually carried out. 

Abundance and cheapness of fuel form chief elements of 
success in a vast field of industry : therefore, it becomes ne- 
cessary to compare the relative heating power of such arti- 
cles of fuel as are used, as well for domestic purposes, as 
for chemical, metalurgic and steam purposes, by which we 
can ascertain their comparative economy, and hence make 
use of that which will leave most profit. The only articles 
of fuel employed to any extent are turf, (peat,) wood, and 
coal. Peat being found only in very limited quantities in 
this State, it is scarcely necessary to introduce it into the 



d4 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

discussion of the problem under consideration. However, 
as it is extensively used for very important purposes in other 
countries, a brief account of its origin, character, and use 
may not be unacceptable. The production of peat is con- 
fined to places containing water, when the temperature is so 
ow as that vegetables may decompose without putrifying. 
In the production of peat, a species of moss (sphagnum) 
it allowed on all hands to have been a principal agent, and 
superabundant moisture the inducing cause. The great 
golden hair moss (polytrichum) seems to act no inconsider- 
able part in the production of turf bogs. Many species of 
feather moss (hypnum) ; thread moss (bryum) ; spring 
moss (mnium) ; besides many other species lend their assis- 
tance. It is a fact not more curious than it is true, that 
many bogs in the north of Europe and Ireland occujDy the 
place of immense forests of pine and oak, many of them 
having disappeared within the historic era. Such changes 
are brought about by the fall of trees, and the stagnation 
of water caused by their trunks and branches obstructing the 
free passage or drainage of the atmosj)heric waters, and giv- 
ing rise to a marsh. Mossess appear to require a much 
lower temperature and a more rough climate than most 
other vegetables. Their most vigorous growth and propa- 
gation are in the spring and autumn. In low situations, they 
are seldom or never seen growing in the middle of summer; 
heat always impeding their vegetation. It is an opinion 
very generally entertained, that most of the peat bogs of 
Europe are not more ancient than the age in which Julius 
Ceaser lived, and I have no doubt that many of the bogs 
of Ireland are not of an older date than Henry the Se- 
cond's reign, when extensive forests were cut down by his 
orders, to prevent the Irish from taking shelter in them, and 



OF WISCONSIN. 65 

harrassing liis troops. A peat bog is in process of forma- 
tion on either side of the Meuomonee river, near Mihvaukee. 
The quantity of peat moss ah-eady accumulated in that lo- 
cahty amounts to many feet in depth, and I have no doubt 
but that a considerable part of that vaPey, -svhich I could 
now point out, will in time become a vegetable mass of turf 
bog, if the process now in operation be not checked. All 
that part of the valley now occupied by the deep marsh, 
must have been at no distant period, an estuary or small 
lake, connected with Lake Michigan by the present stream. 
Had not the progress of growth been checked, all the lower 
parts of the city of Milwaukee would in the process of time, 
be covered with a turf bog. A similar process as that now 
in operation in the marsh, is going on in many parts of the 
State; but the result as an article of fuel, will be of little 
value so long as our forests last. In Ireland, where the 
seventh part of the island is bog, it is a matter of much 
national interest to convert so large a portion to a profitable 
use. The fault that characterizes turf as a fuel is want of 
density, which renders it difficult to remove, and also, to 
concentrate the quantity of heat required for numerous pur- 
poses. In Hhe subsequent part of this work, I mean to 
}X)int out some of the industrial purposes to which turf 
may be practically applied. At present, I mean to confine 
my enquiry to its economic employment in the smelting of 
iron, and also, in the manufacture of cutlery and other in- 
struments requiring strength, elasticity, and durability. 
When we employ pit coal in the smelting of iron, the arti- 
cle produced g-enerally retains impurities, which reduces its 
strength and lessens its value. But when turf charcoal is 
employed, iron is produced in its greatest purity. It may 
be necessary for my purpose to show that charcoal produced 



66 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

from turf is nearly allied to that produced from wood. 
When the forests of Englandand Ireland became exhausted, 
both counti'ies had recourse to Russia and Sweden, where 
iron was had ' in great purity, from the circumstance of its 
being smeltered with charcoal. From experiments carefully 
conducted in Ireland to ascertain the comparative heating 
power of turf, and also, its comparative cost, it was found 
that when perfectly dry, turf had a heating power equal to 
half that of English coal. When English coal was used, 
the cost of fuel for a horse power was found to be about fif- 
teen cents per working day of twelve hours; but using turf 
manufactured in the ordinary way, the cost of fuel for a 
horse power was eighteen cents, for the day of twelve hours, 
which no doubt is far too much, if the turf had been eco- 
nomically worked and the fire-place properly constructed, 
neither of which was the case in the experiments above re- 
fered to. Much of course depends on the cost of carriage? 
in estimating the expense of turf Being of great bulk, as 
compared with coal, the cost of transmission to a distance 
forms a large item. A gentleman in England trying the 
comparative expense of turf and coal, as heating agents to 
generate steam, found that an engine, when turf was used, 
to produce steam, did the same amount of work for just 
half the price, as when coal was use<;l. This great dispar- 
ity in the expense of the coal, was due in this case, to the 
distance it had to be drawn, and to the rigid economy used 
in preparing the turf and the fire-place. On the continent 
of Europe where the coal fields are of limited extent, and 
where the promotion of native industry is an object of pri- 
mary importance, the economy of every source of fuel be- 
comes a matter of necessity. Turf is extensively used in 
the industrial arts in Prussia, in Bavaria, and in France. 



OF WISCONSIN. 67 

Within a few years considerable attention lias been paid to 
the inanul'actiire of turf on a large scale in Ireland and 
England. Its large bulk and the characteristic difficulty of 
concentrating its heat for certain purposes, formed the chief 
objection to its general use in Ireland. To remoN e its porisity, 
Lord Willoughby, an English nobleman, invented a machine 
to compress the peat by means of steanj, but on account of its 
complexity and enormous price, its use has been dispensed 
with. Charier Wye Williams, of Dublin, brought into use a 
preparation of turf which appears to answer well. His pro- 
cess is, to dry the turf well, and then impregnate it with tar, 
which renders it water proof, besides increasing its calorific 
power to equal that of coal very nearly. The process of im- 
pregnating the turf with tar is by no means expensive. Mr. 
Williams uses a hydraulic press. The turf is broken or rather 
mashed up, and then rolled between cloths, to allow only 
the water to escape when subjected to pressure. This pro- 
cess reduces it to about one-third of the volume, and it loses 
about two-fifths of its weight, by the escape of the water 
through the pores of the cloth. When thus pressed, it is 
sot out to dry. The density of the coke produced from 
this preparation exceeds that of wood charcoal, and the ex- 
|)ense but very little. The peat produced by Mr. Wye Wil- 
liams' process is used extensively in mills, distilleries, and 
inland steamboats. In connection with my business in 
Dublin as Civil Engineer, I manufactured to a limited ex- 
tent, peat and brick presses, which, however, were found too 
expensive when employed in compressing turf. 

The turf made by my press equaled in solidity the best 
bituminous coal, and took a polish equal to the finest and 
closest grained wood. This turf burned very slowly and 
emitted very little flame, but sent out heat of great inten • 



68 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

sity. When mixed with culm or the dust of coal, it 
burned somewhat like stone coal, of which I shall write 
presently. In Ireland, where bog is found in such abun- 
dance, the farmers use the stuff not only as a source of 
heat but also as a manure, from which they derive great 
profit. Its qualities in many respects are very curious 
and somewhat peculiar. In its natural state, scarcely any 
thing will grow in it except the mosses from which it is 
produced; but by destroying its anticeptic quality it be- 
comes an excellent manure, especially, when mixed with 
other substances. It preserves animal and vegetable sub- 
stance for a very long period. I have seen some butter 
which had been buried deep in a bog for a great many 
years, preserve all its characteristic properties, and it is 
known to preserve wood from decay for many centuries. 
The quantity of iron occasionally associated with bog is 
one of the most curious circumstances connected with it. 
Of this oar I shall speak further on. 

Peat contains much less nitrogen than coal, and therefore, 
the liquor obtained from it by distillation, contains no free 
ammonia. It contains accetic acid, but in such small quanti- 
ties as not to become an object of manufacture — like wood. 
The heating character of turf is, to distribute the heat over 
a large area, whilst no one point is heated to any consider- 
able degree of intensity injurious to metals ; by which it is 
peculiarly adapted to steam boilers, which are frequently 
burned away from the intensity of the heat of coal or coke. 
Possessing a large quantity of inflammable ingredients, it 
makes a most cheerful fire for domestic purposes. Being 
distributed over a large portion of Ireland, composing about 
one-seventh of its area, it is one of the very few comforts 
the poor of that very unfortunate country enjoy. The 



OF WISCONSIN. 69 

quality of turf varies considerably. When ignited, it emits 
inflammable gas and much water, and leaves a lij^dit char- 
coal. The specimens which were analyzed in Ireland, by 
Sir Robert Kane, yielded the respective quantities of vol- 
atile matter, pure charcoal and ashes in the following table: 

Volatile matter - . - 
Pure charcoal ~ .> . 
Ashes ----- 



JHT TUEF, 


DEN8E 


TCBP. 


73,G3 


72.80 


70,10 


23,82 


19.14 


23,66 


2,55 


8.06 


G.24 



100,00 100,00 ] 00,00 
I have devoted more space to the article of tuif, as a 
source of heat, than its limited quantity in Wisconsin would 
appear to warrant, but as the state is not altogether destitute 
of it, and as it is extensively used in other countries for 
various industrial purposes, I thought that to omit it alto- 
gether, might be considered a fault in such a woi'k as the 
present, at least in a scientific point of view. Though the 
State of Wisconsin is considered not to contain coal, yet, as 
it is used in every part, in all industrial operations of mag- 
nitude, a chapter on it as a source of heat, appears to be in- 
dispensable. Coal has had its origin in the amassing to- 
gether of a large quantity of vegetable matter, at a period 
long before man had made his appearance on the stage of 
existence. 



CHAPTER III. 



From tlie vast quantity of vegetable matter necessary to 
form many of the coal fields which are found in various parts 
of the Old and New Worlds, there is no doubt but that 
vegetation must have been then much more rapid than at 
present in the same localities. From the nature of the 
trees and plants, which are still discoverable in a fossil state 
in many of the coal beds, it is evident that they must have 
grown in a climate much warmer than is enjoyed by the 
same localities at present. The plants discernable in the coal, 
belong, for the most part, to a tropical climate. The luxu- 
riance of their growth, as indicated by their gigantic size, 
gives a temperate climate no claim to them. All their char- 
acteristic forms and types prove their origin as belonging to 
a climate of high temperature. To what are w^e to attri- 
bute the change of temperature from the coal formation pe- 
riod to the present ? Is it caused by the change of the po- 
sition of our globe in reference to the sun ? Or, are we to 
refer the cause to the action of internal heat ? Physical as - 
tronomy proves that no very great change of temperature 
can result from any change of position that can possibly 
take place in our planet in relation to the sun — -that change 
being confined wdthin very narrow limits. We are, there- 
fore, constrained to refer the cause of the rapid growth of 
those gigantic fossil plants found in temperate climates to 



OF WISCONSIN. 11 

internal heal. The theory which refers the large growth of 
plants to internal heat, is not at variance with laws at pre- 
sent in active operation. The number of "burning moun- 
tains at present to be found in very high latitudes, in every 
quarter of the globe, as well as in the numerous islands 
scattered over the face of the deep, attest the fact, that none 
of nature's laws are violated, by referring that high degree 
of temperature requisite for the production of tropical 
plants to internal heat, existing in high latitudes. The 
change of temperature from high to low, is also due to the 
change of circumstances, such as the relative change of land 
mid water, of high and low lands, dimunition of internal 
heat, and other natural causes, which I shall discuss in the 
chapter devoted to the climate of Wisconsin. 

Sir John Richardson is of opinion, that the Arctic re- 
gions were once warm enough to produce vegetation, suffi- 
cient to support a vast creation of herbivorous animals, such 
as we find entombed therein. He attributes the excessive 
vegetation to internal heat 

The organization of many trees and plants is perfectly 
visible in some specimens of coal, but in others, all traces of 
their original form is completely obhterated. Geology 
teaches us that the superficial crust of our planet has been 
subjected to natural convulsions, in which forests were pros- 
trated, and currents set in motion, bearing wath them in 
their course massses of vegetable matter, which being de- 
posited under enormous pressure, where the influence of 
elevated temperature tended to decompose them, w^hen in 
coaitact with water, was converted into coal after the lapse 
of ages. Geology sets no limits to her periods, each of 
which may consist of ages, through which natural laws con- 
tinue to operate without intermission, ending in those won- 



72 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

derful results, daily brought to light by the industry of sci- 
entific research. Numerous geological specimens point out 
the progress of change effected by time under favorable cir- 
cumslances. Fossil wood or brown coal, exhibits a state 
between recent wood and perfect coal. We can also trace 
the chemical changes which take place in the conversion of 
wood into coal, and also learn from the fossil remains of 
many species of plants, the internal structure and character 
of the numerous classes or divisions of the ancient Flora. 
Although no one at this time denies the vegetable origin of 
coal, yet evidence of the original structure is not in all cases 
attainable, the most perfect butiminous coal having under- 
gone complete liquaction, by which all traces of its veget- 
able origin are completely obliterated. It would not suit 
my present purpose to dwell at much gTcater leng-th on the 
origin of coal ; but the article being of such general use, I 
am induced to offer a few more remarks on the subject. It 
is rather interesting to trace the causes that produce differ, 
ent changes in vegetable matter. Bituminous coal is gen- 
erally found where the strata remain level and unbroken ; 
and authiacite where the stratification is broken and dis- 
torted. When the gases escape in consequence of a dis- 
turbing force, bituminous coal is transformed into anthracite 
to which various names are given ; such as split coal, glance 
coal culm, <fec. When no volcanic action disturbs the strat- 
ification, the carbonic acid, carbonated hydrogen, nitrogen, 
and oliphiant gases remain undisturbed in the coal. This 
accounts for the large quantities of anthracite found in the 
disturbed rocks of Pennsylvania, while the level regions 
abound in bituminous coal. And when the action of heat 
expels nearly all the gaseous ingredients from anthracite, it 
is transformed into plumbago. 



OF WISCONSIN. 73 

Mr Lyel writing on the great accumulation of anthracite 
in Pennsylvania, says, " The vegetable matter which is re- 
presented by the immense mass of anthracite must, before it 
was condensed by pressure, and the discharge of its oxygen, 
hydrogen, and other volatile idgredients, have been proba- 
bly between two hundred and three hundred feet thick. 
The accumulation of such a thickness of the remains of 
plants so unmixed with earthy ingredients would be most 
difficult to explain on the hypothesis of their having beea 
drifted into the place they now occupy. Whether we regard 
the stagmaria as roots, or embrace the doctrine of their be- 
ing aquatic plants, no one can doubt that they at least are 
fosilified on the very spot where they grew, and as all agree 
that they are not marine plants, they must be terrestrial.' 
It is however evident, that water is constantly drifting and 
depositing vegetable matter, which in time will become coal,, 
if placed under ftivorable circumstances. The bogs of 
Europe grew where they now stand, and would under fav- 
orable circumstances become coal, which, in general terms is, 
a carbonized mass, in which the internal structure generally 
remains, while in most cases, the external forms are obliter- 
ated. When the microscope is brought to bear on geologi- 
cal objects, it is probable that the internal structure and ex- 
ternal forms of minute vegetable fosils shall be distinctly re. 
cognized. When I come to treat of the geology of Wis- 
consin, I shall point out those rock formations with which> 
coal is generally associated. I might mention here that the 
coal formation stands quite distinct from those above and 
below it, and that its formation was limited to one geologi- 
cal period, which fi-om the depth of some of the beds found 
in this country as well as in England, must have taken a 
vast time to accumulate. Though geologists Hmit the coal 

3 



74 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

formation to one geological period, yet T see no reason ta 
restrict the production of cumbustible bituminous coal to 
any single period, or series of strata, as it may occur in sit- 
uations presenting local conditions favorable to the complete 
bituminization of masses of vegetable matter. These recent 
formations, ho^vevel•, in temperate climates, can never equal 
in depth or magnitude, those formations peculiar to what iS' 
called the coal formation period, which seems from its high 
temperature, to be peculiai-ly favorable to the growth of 
thes9 gigantic plants, peculiar to that peri^>d. I have no 
douht but that the production of lignite is constantly going 
on, and the beds of recent origin found in the State of Maine 
attest the fact. This recent production is found in a bog- 
near Limerick, in that State, at a depth of four feet under 
the surface. It is represented as true bituminous coal. I 
have seen beds of lignite at Laugh Neagh, in Ireland, which 
cleai'ly exhibit the process of formation now going on. — 
This fuel is intermediate between coal and wood. In the 
specimens I have seen, the structure of the w' ood was dis- 
cernable. It is generally of a brow^n color, and its econo- 
mic value is about two thirds that of average coal. Its 
heat is not so intense as that of coal, but more diffused. — 
Lignite, when ignited, burns brilliantly and gives out gase 
ous matter, leaving dense, black charcoal. The a^•erage 
constitution of two specimens of lignite, as also their chem- 
ical composition, are seen in the following tables : 

Volatile matter, - - - 55.700 
Pure charcoal, - - - - 31.875 
Ashes, 12.425 



100.000 



OF WISCONSIN. V5 

Carbon, - - . . 54.0GO 

Ilydrogon, - - - - G.C50 

Oxygen, q - - - - 25.905 

Aslies, 12.425 



100.000 
Antliracite is a description of coal well known in many 
parts of the world. Its composition is very uniform, and it 
bums without flame, and does not cake. It is generally 
termed mineral charcoal, and is considered pure carbon 
mixed only with ashes. In some localities I have seen this 
coal associated with iron pyrites, and from the sulphurious 
fumes it emitted, it was not fit for domestic purposes, nor 
for any purpose in the arts. The average composition of 
pure anthracite may be taken as represented by the follow- 
ing numbers- 
Carbon, . - . - 94.125 
Ashes, 5.875 



100.000 
The peculiar composition of anthracite limits its use in 
the arts, in a very high degree, where science is not brought 
into requisition to obviate the disadvadtages peculiar to it. 
In other respects it has many advantages. It conducts heat 
but slowly, and is difficult to burn. It contains very little 
combustible matter; but produces a most intense heat, which, 
however, is confined to the immediate neighborhood of the 
fire. When analj^sed it yields the following quantities : 
Volatile matter, - - - 10.20 

Pure carbon, - - - -82.42 
Ashes, - - - - 7.38 



100.000 



76 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Tlie peculiarity wliicli confines the lieat to tlie iieighbor- 
liood of the fire, tends to burn the boiler when used to gen- 
erate steam, but is by no means effective in causing evapor- 
ation. Science, however, obviates this defect, by passing 
the vapor of water through the red-hot coal. The water 
being decomposed, the oxygen combines with carbon, the 
composition forming carbonic oxide, and the hydrogen is 
set free. "These mixed combustible gases pass into the 
flues, and inflaming in the excess of air which enters, gives- 
a sheet of flame, which I have seen to ex:tend for thirty feet 
under and through a boiler." By thus allowing the vapor 
of water to pass through red-hot anthracite, it is converted 
into flaming coal. The process gives no gain or loss of heat^ 
but removes it from where it would act injuriously, and dis- 
tributes it over a large area, Avhere its maximum economical 
eftect is obtained. Its economical effect was tested on the 
Liverpool and Manchester Rail Road, and the result of the 
experin^ent showed that 5k hundred of anthracite generated 
the same amount of power, by the agency of steam, as 7-J- 
hundred of coke, which is the most expensive fuel at our 
disposal. That which accomplishes most, in any operation 
whatsoever, for the same outlay, is considered the most eco- 
nomical. In the above experiment, S-fr hundred of anthra- 
cite accomplishes the same duty as 7^ hundred of coke, and 
coke, besides, is much more costly than anthracite. Hence 
the economy of this fuel when used under the direction of 
science, without which, its use would be a positive loss. It 
is known that pure carbon reduces to the motallic state, 35 
parts of lead, wdiile bituminous coal only reduces from 25 
to 30; but when anthracite is used, it reduces from 23 to 
32 times its own weight, which shows that where it can be 
suitably employed^ it is among the best fuels. 



OF WISCONSIN. 



77 



The next specimen of ceil I slmll notice, is bituminous 
coal, Avliich is the fitest for most purposes. It ignites freely, 
gives out flnme, and cakes. Its effective power to generate 
steam, as compared with other sources of heat, is seen in 
this table. 



Hydrogen, - - - - 4G.8 
Pure Charcoal, - - - 14.6 
Coke, ----- 13.0 
Best Turf Coke, - - 12.8 



Average Coal, - - 12.0 

Best Turf, - - - - CO 

Dry Wood - - - V.O 

Wood, not dried, - - 5.2 



These numbers are the result of a series of trials, expressly 
made by competent scientific persons, with a view to as- 
certain the absolute heating po^vei- of fuels of different kinds. 
In the experiments one pound of each kind of fuel was em- 
ployed, and the testing power was, to find how many pounds 
of water a pound of each kind w^as capable of evaporating. 
The coal employed was bituminous, of the average kind. — 
By looking over the numbers representing the evaporating 
power of different kinds of fuel, it will be seen that hydro- 
gen has the greatest, and fresh wood the least heating pow- 
er ; and that coke made of coals, turf coke, and bituminous 
coals have nearly equal power, and are very little inferior to 
pure charcoal. It may be further seen that the best quality 
of turf, not compressed, is very little inferior to dry wood. 
Doctor Fyfe, of Edinburgh, made several trials to ascertain 
the relative evaporative power of anthracite and bituminous 
coal, and his experiments sJiowed that with the same furnace 
one pound ol anthracite evaporated 7.94 pounds of water, 
w^hilst one pound of coal evaporated only 6.62 pounds. — 
Dr. Fyfe remarks that the heating power of any fuel is pro- 
portional to the quantity of fixed carbon it contains ; that 
is, of pure coke. The following numbers represent their 
respective ingredients : 



78 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Antlimcite. Bituminous Coal. 
Moisture, - - - 4.5 1.5 

Volatile matter, - - - 13.3 34.5 

Fixed carbon, - - 71.4 50.5 

Ashes, - - - - 10.8 7.5 



100.0 100.0 

The fixed carbon in anthracite and bituminous coil are 
represented by 71.4 and 50.5 which are nearly proportional 
to the numbers 7.94 and 6.62, expressing their effective 
power in generating steam. The result varies when the 
quality of the fuel varies, and also when the circumstances 
under which the fuel burns, and the steam is generated vary. 
But for all practical purposes, the tabular numbers above 
may be taken to express the relative ingredients of anthra- 
cite and bituminous coal. 

The United States are richer in coal than any part of the 
known world, as may be seen from the following taken from 
the valuable work of Mr. C. Taylor: 

United States, - - - 133,132 square miles. 
British America, - - 1 8,000 " " 
Great Britain, - - - 11,000 « " 

France,. 1,709 " " 

Spain, 8,408 « « 

Belgium, - - - - 528 « " 

It may be seen from this table that the United States 
contain over twelve times as great an extent containing coal 
as Great Britain. 

A single one of these gigantic mines runs about 900 miles 
from Pennsylvania to Alabana, and embraces 50,000 square 
miles, equal to the whole surface of England proper. 

The native fuel at our disposal in Wisconsin is wood, 



OF WISCONSIN. 79 

wliieh lias digerent Iieating j^owers. As a gonoi'd tiling, 
the kcating power of wood is proportional to its density, all 
otker things being equal. But a difference in the compo- 
sition of woods of equal density will, of course, produce a 
ditference in their heating powers. 'Though we are desti- 
tute of coal in Wisconsin, as far as we know at present, yet 
we have a vast source of heat in our forests. The state of 
Wisconsin is computed to contain 53,924 square miles, 
which being reduced to square acres, gives 34,51 1,3G0. Now 
it is not too much to allow, on an average, 25 cords to an acre 
which would place 862,784,000 cords at our disposal, for 
domestic purposes, if the whole state were covered with 
wood. Allowing that the prairie and cleared lands comprise 
half the surface, half the above quantity is available for do- 
mestic purposes — namely, 4 3 1 ,3 9 2,0 cords. The heating 
quaUty of the woods generally employed for fuel, ranges in 
the following order: Iron- Wood, Hickory, Maple, White- 
Oak, Red-Oak, Beech, Buttercup, Yellow-Pine, White-Pine, 
Bass-Wood, Poplar. 

Iron- Wood being found only in small quantities, its use 
as a fuel may be left out. The above quantity of firewood 
is. of course, but an aproximation, which, however, cannot 
be very far from the truth. 

The number of houses in the State, in 1850, was 56,281 ; 
allowing each house on an average to burn thirty cords in a 
year, the population of 1850 would require 255 years to 
consume all the available fuel in Wisconsin at present. 

In one of the back tables it is seen that one pound of 
coal evaporates twelve pounds of water, and one pound of 
dry wood, only seven pounds ; the effective power of coal in 
evaporating water, as compared with that of dry wood, is 
as twelve to seven. Hence the efiective power of wood is 



80 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

only 7-12tIis that of coal, tlie weight being equal. Mr. 
Scott Russell, an eminent Scotcli Engineer, giNes the follow 
ing as the working conditions of the evaporation of water 
and the generation of power ; one cubic foot of water evop- 
orated per hour, is equal to one horse power : 1 1 pounds of 
coal evaporate a cubic foot of water, therefore, from the 
above proportion, nearly 1 9 pounds of dry wood evaporate 
a cubic foot. One poued of coal evaporates QS pounds of 
water; one pound of wood evaporates 3.82 pounds. Here 
the quantity of water required to generate a horse-pow^^r of 
steam is nearly double what theory assigns to it above, and 
the quantity of coal and wood is also nearly double. This 
great ditFerence is the result of using a badly shaped boiler, 
whose greatest evaporative effect is 9 pounds (nearly) of 
water for one pound of coal, and 5^ pounds of water for 
one pound of wood. We may then consider a horse power 
as represented by one cubic foot of water evaporated per 
hour, with at least ten pounds of coal or seventeen pounds 
of wood, using the ordinary steam engine and common wa- 
gon boiler. IS^ow, if we suppose a coi'd of wood to weigh 
three thousand pounds, 4,313,928,000 cords would weigh 
1,294,176,000,000 pounds, which, divided by l7 gives 
76,128,000,000 horse power. By using the improved boiler 
purforated by flues, and woi'king the steam expansi\ely, the 
same quantity of fuel would produce nearly double the hore 
power above given ; that is, all the wood in Wisconsin at 
present is sufficient to generate steam equal to 152,256,- 
000,000 horse power. The power of a horse is variously 
rated. Bolton and Watt are of opinion that a horse is able 
to raise 32,000 pounds avoirdupois one foot high in one 
minute; others make it 44,000 pounds, 27,000 and 33,000. 
It is common in practice to allow 44,000 pounds, or at least 



OF WISCONSIN. 81 

23,000 lbs. for one horsepower. In calculating liosre power 
it should be stated which of these two numbers has been taken. 
If the rapid increase of population should continue, as I 
have no doubt it will, the forest will soon vanish, and coal 
must be used as a substitute. But should coal, as a fuel be 
found too expensive, every proprietor will find it necessary 
to keep up a fresh supply of growing timber for his own 
use, at least, by which ihe state can never suffer for want of 
fuel for domestic purposes. In the course of time those 
persons occupying prairies will be driven to the necessity of 
planting for domestic purposes. We find that in France 
and other European countries, the forests are allowed to 
grow in order to supply a dense population with fuel ; why 
then should we apprehend a scarcity in Wisconsin for, at 
least, some ages to come. When the carriage of cord-wood 
becomes too expensive, which of course it must in some lo- 
calities, at no distant period, they must have recsurse to 
coal, which can be had from the neighboring states of Illi- 
nois, Minesota and Iowa, at a cost of transport which will 
diminish in proportion as rail-roads and water communica- 
tion will increase. The facilities of transport offered by our 
lakes and rivers, and the projected rail-roads through our 
State, will enable us to procure coal at little more cost than 
it may be procured for in some parts of those states where 
it is foun<l. When we employ coal in the smelting of iron 
the article produced preserves impurities highly injurious to 
it; therefore, for the finer purposes of cutlery and of ma 
chinery, we invariably use charcoal. England, so justly 
celebrated for its manufocture of iron, imports quantities 
from Kussia and Sweden, which being smelted and refined 
by means of wood charcoal, is better adapted to all the pur- 
poses of fine VNork tlian any that can be manufactured by 



82 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

means of coal. Our numerous mines, in connection with 
the great quantities of wood charcoal at our disposal, will, 
when vigorously worked, prove a source of wealth to our 
state. In the progress of the work I shall have occasion to 
saj more in detail of our mines, which, in some metals, are 
the richest in the world. 

Experience has proved that trees for lumber, if cut at 
one season of the year, are far more durable than if cut at 
another. Wood, to be lasting must be cut at the end of 
Summer, or beginning of autumn ; but if it is wished to 
cloihe the surface with a new growth of trees, the cutting 
must be made late in winter. The strength and elasticity 
depend considerably on the season of cuttings also. In an- 
other point of view, the amount of water contained in the 
wood is of impoitance. The amount of water in wood is 
JOm^times from 20 to 50 per cent., and the average may be 
■j&jil at 35 or 40 per cent of its weight, which, in its car- 
lia^'e to market makes a great difference in the amount of 

o o 

Jabor expended. The water in wood intended for firing 
is not only of no good, but of i^ositive injury. As all the 
heat required to dissipate the water is in a latent state Avhile 
employed in this process, its effect is lost, especially if the 
wood is consumed on the hearth or in a stove. This should 
be recollected by every one buying green wood. The cal- 
oric in the wood is employed first to convert the water it 
contains into steam, in which state it escapes throug-^^ the 
pores. During this process the heat is in a latent stal^, and 
its heating influence partly lost. Hence it appears that dry 
wood has two advantages — the one in the ^vay of carriage 
to market, and the other in its heating influence — two very 
important advantages. 

The statistics of the lumber trade, conducted on the AVis- 



OF WISCONSIN. 83 

consin, Black, Cliippe\\a, and the St. Croix rivers and their 
tribiitarios, as taken from Dr. Owen's Report, published in 
1848, gives the following quantities, Avhich v.ill convey some 
idea of the importance of this trade to the State of AYiscon- 
sin. In 1847 there were on the Wisconsin River, 24 millsj 
running 45 saW'S, and sawing about 19-J millions of square 
feet, worth, at the mills, about $6 per 1000, and 3 millions 
of shingles, worth $2 per 1000. On Black River and its 
tributaries, there were, at the time above referred to, 1 3 miils> 
running 16 saws, and turning out 6,350,000 feet of lumber 
annually, and 500,000 shingles, besides 45,000 feet of square 
timber, at $25 per thousand. On the Chippewa and its 
tributaries, there were five mill and se\'en saws, manufactur- 
ing 5,350,000 feet of lumber, 3,100,000 lathing, 1,300,000 
shingles, 50,000 feet of square timber, and 2,000 logs. On 
the St. Croix and its tribut^iries, there w'ere five mills and 
twelve saws in operation, which cut 7,700.000 feet of boards 
and plank, 6,000,000 laths, 100,000 shingles, 15,000 logs. 
By the time this reaches St. Louis, its value is nearly doubled, 
making the actual income to the inhabitants of these loca- 
tions fi"ora this trade alone, upwards of half a million of 
dollars. From the influx of strangers, to these regions, 
since the above dates, and the increasing demand for lumber 
in and out of the State, the annual quantity manufactured 
at present in these localities, cannot fall short of an amount 
worth one million. From the calculation, in the pine re- 
gions of New York and New England, of the quantity of 
lumber which an acre of land will produce, 5000 acres of 
land must be denuded, annually, in the Chipewa district 
alone. South of the Wisconsin river there are no pine lands 
of any extent; therefore the whole Mississippi country be- 
low the Wisconsin river, and north of the mouth of the 



84 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Ohio, must be supplied with timber from the Chippewa 
land district. Dr. Owen concludes his report in the follow- 
ing words: "The future circumstances and value of the 
trade can be well appreciated by those who have witnessed 
the rate of Immigration into these vast and fertile plains of 
the United States, particularly when they consider the pref- 
erence given to wooden buildings in the west, and the in- 
creased consumption of building material, not only in the 
larger cities, but also for the construction of those numerous 
towns and villages which spring up, as if by magic, along 
the shores of the Mississippi and its tributaries." Some of 
the pine lands are valuable only for the immense quantity of 
timber they produce, To give some idea of the quantity? 
the steamboat War Eagle towed out of Lake St. Croix, at 
one time, a raft of logs and sawed lumber, which covered 
eleven acres by measurement. Further on will be seen the 
immense amount of profit derived from the lumber trade in 
those districts having an outlet for their trade through Green 
Bay. The improvement already made on the Fox Kiver, 
and those under contract, give strong hopes of a vast in- 
crease in the lumber brsiiiess of that extensive region whose 
natural outlet is Green Bay. But recent difficulties connec- 
ted with the improvement of that river, have excited a gen- 
eral fear that the hopes of those anxious for the imp^'ove- 
mtnt, will never be realised. As matters stand at presant, 
it is hard to say whether or not the works will ever be 
completed. As so much of the public money has been al- 
ready expended, and as the proposed impro^•ement would 
doubtless prove of vast benefit to a very large district, it is 
to be regretted that it should be checked in its progress by 
any untoward circumstance growing out of causes which 
called forth the authority of the ex<^cutive. The legislature 



OF WISCONSIN. 85 

is this moment actively engaged in debating pro et con, the 
expediency of stopping tlie Tsorks altogether, or pushing 
them on to completion. I should be sorry that works of 
such importance to a vast district should now be abandoned. 
With a prospect of a net-work of railroads through every 
part of the State, the benefit resulting from. the opening of 
the navigation of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers may not 
be equal to the expectations at first entertained ; but be that 
as it may, the navigation of these rivers could not fail of 
being a source of benefit to the lumber-trade of the North- 
west, as well CIS to other branches of business depending on 
the transportation of heavy articles, which can best and 
most economically be eftected by water carriage.* The fol- 
lowing statistics of the businens of the Northwest will fur- 
ther show the importance of the lumber trade of this dis- 
tant region, as well as amount of cash in circuL^tion *. 

ESTIMATED EXPORTS OF 1851. 

There are on the Mississippi River, above the 
mouth of the St. Croix Rtver, engaged in 
cutting logs, 1 1 saws, cutting 1 5 millions 
feet of lumber, at $10 per thousand, 150,000 

Ten millions of logs at 85, 50,000 

On the St. Croix are 17 saws cutting 26 mil- 
lions feet, at $10 per thousand, 200,000 
Twenty-two millions, at $5, 110,000 
Square lumber, lathing, &c., 10,000 

380,000 
One mill is in progress of erection for driving 
sixty saws, at the outlet of St. Croix Lake. 

*The difficulty above alluded to has been amicably settled, and 
tlie works are now progressing. . 



86 INDUSTRIL RESOURCES 

The Cliippewa River yields twenty millions feet 

oi lumber, at $10, 200,000 

Four million feet of logs, at 5 dollars, 20,000 

Square timber, lathing, &c., 5,000 

225,000 
The Black River yields fifteen millions feet, at 

ten dollars, 150,000 

Logs, square timber, lathing, &c., 15,000 

Furs and pelfries for the whole region, 200,000 

Whole amount of exports estimated, $ 1 , 1 T 0,0 

ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF IMPORTS. 

For St. Croix and Chippewa^ 

7,454 bbls of Pork, at $16, 119,264 

14.994 " Flour, at 6 dollars, 89,364 

14,000 bushels of Oats, at 50 cents, 7,000 

10,000 " Corn, at one dollar, 10,000 



223,688 
For the Upper Mis^ssippi and Blach Rivers. 
2,100 bbls. of Pork, at 16 dollars, 33,600 

4,200 " Flour, at 6 dollars, 25,200 

2,000 bushels Corn, at one dollar, 2,000 

4,000 " Oats, at fifty cents, 2,000 



62,800 



Groceries and other necessarie«, including goods 

for Indian Annuities, 2,000,000 



$2,286,488 
Estimated amount paid out hy the General Government 
Indian Annuities, 208,000 

For Territorial Government, 30,000 

I'or support of Troops, 400,000 



OF WISCONSIN. 87 

Xo. of Steamboats in trade in 1851, Y. 

" Arrivals and departures 246. 

Amount of passages, 190,225 

No. of tons freight carried, 36,900. 

Amount paid for freight, at $6 per ton, from Ga- 
lena, 258,500 

Freight 4,500 head of stock, shipped up, 2,700 



Total amount of receipts from steamboats, 451,425 

I only intended to give the lumber trade of this district, 
as belonging legitimately to this chapter, but the section of 
country being remote and somewhat detached, it occurred 
to me that the exports and imports, and the amount paid 
out by the General Government, exhibited in one sheet, 
would prove acceptable to some persons desirous to know 
the amount of money in circulation in the district. 

The lumber trade of the Two Rivers must be considera- 
ble, when, at a very early season 55,500 logs have been got 
out, ready to float down the river. When sawed, these will 
make 19 million feet of lumber. Shingle, and cedar posts, 
to an enormous amound, have been bought for the Chicago 
market, which has to depend ensirely on other states for its 
supply of lumber. 

It is said that the trade of the pinery on Wisconsin River, 
above Plover, is worth five hundred thousand dollars annu- 
ally. The New York Journal of Commerce says, that---- 
" Large quantities of timber, consisting of oak knees, plank 
(fee., now lie in our ship-yards, and are being worked up in- 
to elegant ships, after having performed a journey of over 
one thousand miles, from Wisconsin." 

The manufacture of staves to an enormous amount, is 
carried on in Wisconsin, especially along the lake Michigan 



88 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

shore, in Manitowac, Sheboygan and Washington counties, 
which supply Milwaukee and other towns in the State. — 
But the principal market is Chieago, where a vast number 
of flour and pork barrels are made. 

The lumber trade of Milwaukee has been less in 1852 
than the preceding year. The following are. the total re- 
ceipts for the season of 1852 : 

Lumber, feet, 12,649,426 

Laths, 1,565,000 

Shingles, 6,820,000 

In the northern part of what is known as the Menomonee 
district, are large and extensive pineries, extending for miles 
beyond the head watars of the Wolf River. These exten- 
sive pineries will open a lumber trade in a few years that 
will be unparallelled by any thing of a similar character in 
the history of the West. The trees grow to a remarkable 
height, straight, free, and make clear lumber, some of which 
has been taken to St. Louis market, where it has been pro- 
nounced of excellent quality. Those pineries are destined 
to be an important item in the commerce of Wieconsin as 
soon as an outlet can be made through the Fox and Wis- 
consin rivers. A large river, navigable two hundred miles, 
extends up to the very heart of the district. The untold 
wealth of her forests, the availability of her water power, 
and the superior productions of her soil must be induce- 
ments for capital and immigration. When the means of 
access to this vast region are open, it cannot remain long 
unknown. The Fox River impro^■ement is the key by 
which the entire tract is laid open. These pineries form a 
part of the Menomenec District, lying north of the Fox 
River, equal in extent to the State of Connecticut. It was 
ceded by the Menomonee Indians to the United States' Gov- 



OF WISCONSIN. 89 

eraraent in, 1841. According to the articles of that treaty 
the tribe was to deliver np possession in Jnlv, 1852. The 
impression has gone abroad that the purchase comprised the 
poorest and most unproductive portion of Wisconsin. Hence 
emigrants destined for Wisconsin, have invariably shunned 
it, and located themselves, either in the Western part of the 
State, or in Minnesota. The true statement of facts in re- 
gard to this tract has never yet appeared. Instead of be- 
ing the poorest portion of Wisconsin, it is, if not directly 
the reverse, at least equal, perhaps to the most favored part 
of the State, the soil being exceedingly productive. A gen- 
tleman speaking of this tract says, " I have seen as good 
corn in Waupaca County, as in any portion of the State, 
the yield, according to the report of some old farmers, being 
fifty bushels to the acre." The faoe of the countiy from 
Waupaca to Berlin is rolling and covered with beautiful oak 
openings and an occasional tract of pine, with numerous 
lakes of the purest water, alive with fish of the most delic- 
ious flavor. This tract is now in the market at $1,25 per 
acre, and on it are several improvements made by the tribe 
that occupied it ; which would make a purchase in parts of 
this region desirable. 

Fish and Liimher trade of Green Bay^ for the 2Jf'€seni 

Season, (1852.) 

Shingles, 13,500,000 

Shingle Bolts, cords, 1,300 

Logs, lumber, and square timber, ft., 13,950,000 

Oak staves, ft., 2,000,000 

Fish, bbls., 6,000 

Ashes, tons, 50 

Steven's Pointy in Portage County, is situated on the 

Wisconsin River, about ninety miles from Portage City. It 



90 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

is the depot for tlie supplies used in the extensive kimbering 
business of the river on which it is located. Accopling to 
the statement of the Wisconsin Correspondent, it contains 
seven hundi'ed inhabitants, all engaged in the lumbering 
business. The chief lumbering localities are the Big Bull 
Falls, 46 miles north of this river; the Eau Claire Mills, on 
a stream of that name. Thei-e are twenty-five mills north 
of Steven's Point, many of which run three and four saws 
constantly, which, according to the correspondent of the 
Wisconsin, turn out forty million feet of lumber in the sea- 
son. Big Bull Falls has a population of five hundred, who 
are all engaged in the lumbering trade. Vast quantities of 
shingles are made in this region. Large quantities of pro- 
visions and dry goods are consumed in this extensive disti'ict, 
all of which would be purchased at Milwaukee if a communi- 
cation were once open between the two points. The La 
Cross railroad will effect a part of this desirable object. — 
Korth of Steven's Point is a dense forest of pine, ill-suited 
to agriculture, the land being too sandy. 



C II A r T E K IV 



AVlieu water is exposed to atmosplieric iulluencc', it is cor 
verted into vapor, which, from its levity, ascends. Whe: 
this vapor is thus separated, the air holding it in solution, : 
is invisible, assuming either the form of clouds or mists, suj 
pended in the atmosphere, or of rain, dew, snow, and ha 
falUng to the ground- It is probable that electricity acts 
very considerable part in elevating and depressing cloud 
and mists. When repelled by negative electricity the cloud 
ascend, and when mists aie attracted by positive electricit 
they fall to the ground, regaining, in their descent, the soli 
and hquid form, by which, under the intluence of gravit; 
they tend coutinuaKy to a lower level, till the entire maj 
joins the ocean. The rain or snow that falls on the elevate 
parts of the country first forms, in its descent, rividets, the 
streams, and ultimately rivers. The velocity and weight < 
the water, thus set in motion by the action of gravity, pi ac 
at our disposal a power which may be applied to give mc 
tion to machinery. This application of watei- in motion i 
the simplest power which any of its conditions places at ou 
command. 

If all the rain falling on any district, passed to the ocea 
or any reservoii", and if its quantity and fall could be ascei 



92 IXDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

tainetl, we could then easily determine the amount of me 
chanical force brought to act, in driving machinerj' of any 
Ivind. These data are but imperfectly known, even in the 
oldest country ; and how much less do we know of such 
data in a new country, where the application of science to 
such matters is scarcely thought of. Mr. Lapham has a 
rain gage, and another is kept at the Beloit College, under 
the superintendence of one of the professions ; but two are 
too few for so wide a field as Wisconsin. It is to be hoped, 
however, that the scientific gentlemen throughout the State, 
and mC)re especially those connected with public institutions 
of learning, will see the necessity of co-operating at different 
poirts, simultaneously, with the view to collect data on which 
might be founded the solution of many philosophical pro- 
blems of a highly interesting and practical character. The 
importance of the water power of this state is of such mag- 
nitude, in a national and industrial point of view, that I am 
induced to discuss it, not, of course, pretending to perfect 
accuracy, but rather to draw attention to the subject, and 
paint out in a general way, the circumstances affecting it. — 
The first thing to lead to the proper solution of the problem, 
vchich I mean to discuss, is the quantity of rain that falls in 
Wisconsin in a year, on an average. As rain gages have 
not been kept at different points of the State, I shall only 
assume what I thiuk from common observation cannot dif- 
fer very much from the truth. Mr. Lapham, of Milwaukee, 
has kept an account of the quantity of rain that falls in a 
year in the city, which he considers to be thirty inches. In 
Beloit, where the quantity that falls is also registered, it 
appears that the quantity which falls there exceeds that 
which falls at Milwaukee, by more than twenty-one inch- 
es. The mean quantity as derived from the two sour- 



OF WISCONSIN. 93 

ces, the only reliable ones in the State, may tlierefore Le ta- 
ken at 40^ inches. The next thing to Le discussed is the 
quantity of water absorbed by the earth and atmosphere. — 
As no observations have ever been made in Wisconsin to 
show the amount of evaporation and absorption, I must only- 
take my data from other countries, whore the quantity has 
been ascertained from a series of experinients long contin- 
ued, with a view to arrive at as accurate results as the nature 
of the subject would admit. Mr. Dobson, of Liverpool, 
tried experiments there, and found that nearly the same 
quantity of water was evaporated from the surface of water 
as fell on it, in rain. Dr. Dal ton, well known, from his high 
scientiiic attainments, in conjunction with Mr. Hoyer, tried 
experiments in Manchester, in order to ascertain the relative 
quantities evaporated from different surfaces, and they found 
that from the land the evaporation was 25.16 inches, and 
from the water, at the same time, 44 inches, the rain that 
fell being 33.56 inches. 

Baron Dupin, of France, Dr. Thompson, of Great Britain, 
Mr. Fairbairn, of Ireland, and others, made numerous ob- 
servations on the evaporation of water, and though the cir- 
cumstances affecting their results were quite different, yet 
they came to the conclusion that about two-thirds of all the 
rain that fell evaporated, the other one-third making its way 
to the ocean. It is an ascertained fact that a greater quan- 
tity of rain falls here than in Ireland, where the evaporation 
is taken at two-thirds of the rain that falls on the surface, 
the other third being the only source of power to give mo. 
tion to machinery, by its gravity and acquired uelocity. — 
Though the quantity of rain that falls in Wisconsin and 
Ireland is not very different, yet the quantity of water evap- 
orated may be quite unequal, arising from different condi- 



94 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

tions of the atmosphere and difFerent qualities of the soil. 
In the absence of any direct observations on this subject in 
Wisconsin, I must only assume that which I consider to be 
nearest the truth, without pretending to perfect accuracy. — 
In consequence of the cloudy sky of Ireland as compared 
with the bright sky of Wisconsin, a less quantity evaporates 
there than here. Of 36 incher that fall in Ireland, 24 inch- 
es evaporate, and 12 are employed as a power. In Wiscon- 
sin 40-2- inches of rain fall, and it is not too much to sup- 
pose that 28 J inches evaporate, leaving 12 inches to drive 
machinery. Now as the force of water is proportional to 
the height through which it falls, it is evident that the en- 
tire quantity of water, as well as the height through which 
it falls, must enter as an essential element into the solution 
of the problem under discussion. The government report 
makes the number of square miles in Wisconsin 53,924, 
which being reduced to square yards, gives 167,934,982,400. 
All the rain that falls on the entire surface of Wisconsin in 
one year, amounts to this number of yards, 40j inches high, 
but only 167,034,982,400 square yards 12 inches high are 
employed to produce mechanical motion ; therefore, the en- 
tire quantity of water to generate power is 55,678,327,466- 
2-3 cubic yards. The next thing to be ascertained is the 
average fall through which this quantity passes. In Ireland 
this could be ascertained to as great a degree of accuracy as 
need be required ; as in connection with the survey of the 
country, the altitudes of all the river courses, dividing ridges 
(fee. were taken, by which the catchment basins of all the 
country may be seen almost at a single glance, and the av- 
erage height, not only of each catchment, but of the whole 
Island, may be calculated. But in a new country like Wis- 
consin, it could not be expected that the limited tim.e and 



OF WISCONSIN. 95 

labor bestowed on sueli matters, could place at oiv disposal 
such facU ill sufficient amount or detail as would be desira- 
ble, to lead to such results as could be depended on. In 
our present position we must only employ all the materials 
we can collect, and make the best use of them we are able, 
by which a step is made in the right direction, and some- 
thing more left for our successoi-s who are to push the sub- 
ject still forther. *Dr. Owen and his associates took levels 
from the mouth of the Chippewa to the mouth of Bad 
river; from the outlet of Lake St. Croix to the mouth of 
Bois Brule rivlr; and from the Mississippi, at St. Pauls, to 
the trading house on St. Louis river, 18 miles above Fon 
du lac. Mr. Lapham has kindly placed in my hands, levels 
taken from Rock river, near Beloit, to the head of the Wolf 
river; also levels from Milwaukee to the discharging point 
of the Wisconsin river, at the Mississippi. With these lim- 
ited materials, and assisted by the map of Wisconsin, I have 
endeavored to find an average elevation of the entire State, 
over lakes Michigan and Superior, and also over the Missis- 
sippi ri\er, these being the recipients of all the water that 
falls on the surface of the State, employed to generate pow- 
er. This altitude or elevation, I consider to be about 350 
feet. The problem now under discussion has narrowed itself 
to the finding of thi power generated by 55,678,327,466 2-3 
cubic yards, falling through the height of 350 feet, in 365 
days, or, 105,933 cubic yards in one minute. A cubic foot 
of water weight 62-|- lbs. and a cubic yard 1687-|-lbs.; 
therefore the weio-ht of aU the water that falls in one minute 
through 350 feet, is 178,761,937 lbs. The horse-power, 
therefore, is equal to l7S,761,937X350-!-44,000, which 

*The numerous levels -which have been taken through the State 
for Plaak Road and other purposes, would afford good data for 
the solution of this problem. 



96 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

gives 1,421,969 horse power, for the entire State, and which 
exceeds the water-power of Ireland, so celebrated for that, as 
well as for numerous other natural advantages. Wliere it 
is an object to economise power, the water is not allowed to 
escape during the idle hours; therefore, if we only take 
three hundred working days of twelve hours each, instead 
of three hundred and sixty-five of twenty-four hours each, 
the w^ater-power of Wisconsin will be 3,460,124, distributed 
over the entire State. 'Nov,' if we knew the structure of the 
country and the area of all the catchment basins, we could 
assign to each district, geographic all}', the portion of this 
power belonging to it, but with our present knowledge of 
the contour of the surface of the country, we can only ap- 
proximate the truth. The dividing ridge separating the 
tributaries of Lake Michigan and the Mississippi river, gives 
to the latter about three fourths of the water that falls on 
the entire surface of Wisconsin, and to the Lake about one 
fourth ; very little, comparatively, falling into Lake Superior. 
The water falling into Lake Michigan is pi-incipally contrib- 
uted by the Fox and Wolf rivers, which pass through Lake 
Winnebago, and ultimately into Lake Michigan, by Green 
Ba,j. The water of Winnebago Lake in its passage towards 
Green Bay, atfords considerable power at different points 
along its course, the most considerable, and surely the best 
circumstanced, being at the rising towns of Neenah and 
Meshasha, situated at opposite sides of Doty Island. When 
angaged in laying out the canal and other improvements at 
Grand Rapids, I measured the water-power there, and found 
it to amount to over three hundred horse power, and the 
amount of power at Menasha is not much less. The other 
principal outlet is at Milwaukee, where a river of that name 
and the Menomonee enter Lake Michigan together. She- 
boygan, Twin Ri\^rs, Racine, Manitowoc, and others of lit- 



OF WISCONSIN. 



97 



tie note, are also contributors to Lake Michigan. There are 
numerous streams from the west side of the dividing ridge, 
running towards the Mississippi, the principal being the 
Wisconsin and Rock Rivers. The drainage of many dis- 
tricts for agricultural purposes, and the maintainance of 
navigation, may be adverse to the perfect economy of power. 
Numerous places having plenty of water may, notwithstand- 
ing, possess very little available power, the fall not being 
suited to mechanical purposes. In the best circumstanced 
situations, there is a loss of power in working every des- 
ci-iption of machines, by means of water, amounting, gen- 
erally, to a third ; but withal, we posssss an abund'-mce of 
water power to develop the manufacturing resources of our 
State on the very largest scale. In contrasting the expense 
of water power mth. that of steam, the former has much the 
advantage, being vastly cheaper than steam at the very 
mouth of the coal-pit. This is practically illustrated on a 
large senile, on the Shawe's Waterworks in Scotland, where 
each horse-power, by water, "costs upon the whole 5l os 5d 
being 301 13s 7d less than the cost of one horse power by 
steam, at Glasgow." 

In discussing the comparative cost of water and steam 
power, Sir Robert Kane writing on this subject says: — 
" Thus, whether we take Mr. Bateman's value, which is for 
the bare supply of power, or Mr. Thom's value, which in- 
cludes the delivery of the power in a working form, we see 
that the cost of the water-power is not more than one-tenth 
of the cost of steam." In this statement Sir Robert has 
reference to Shawe's water at Greenock, in Scotland, Avhich 
was collected from the surrounding country at a vast expense 
by which its cost as a power must have been considerably 
increased on the manufacturers as compared Y*'ith power de 
rived from a natural stream of running water, which cost 



98 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

notliiag. Possessed of an amount of water sufficient to 
drive any quantity of macliinery, and that distributed tlirougli 
every part of the State ; and possessed also of an immense 
quantity of wood, as a source of heat, the absence of coal 
\vill not be very seriously felt for many years to come, in 
some localities, at legist, and more especially when our navi- 
gable rivers and lakes render the article accessible, should its 
use at any time become indispensable. Though almost all 
the rivers and streams distribute mechanical power to most 
parts of the State, yet there are localities without any, where 
the demand for certain articles of manufacture may render 
power of some sort necessary. In such locations steam is 
indispensable. It is sometimes supposed that a water-wheel 
cannot produce such a smooth and equable motion as to iici 
with as kill effect as a steam engine. This is a mistake, as 
I shall show by transcribing an article on this subject, by 
Scott Eussel, inserted in the Encyclopedia Britanica: "Mr. 
Lucy had constructed at Birmingham a flour mill driven by 
steam, and it has been his object to obtain perfection without 
any limitation of expense. He had got one of Bolton & 
Watt's steam engines, and yet he found that his mill neither 
produced such perfect fioui-, nor moved so smoothly as mills 
driven by water. On the conti-ary, it was foued that the ir- 
regularity of the motion produced a larger quantity of course 
than of fine flour, at a mercantile loss to the owner; and it 
was likewise found that the irregular propulsion a tergo in- 
tervening with the uniform motion, towards which the mill- 
stones tended to their own momentum, produced a clanging 
reciprocation along the whole line of toothed gearing, which 
was most injurious, and rapidly destructive to the toothed 
wheels. When we visited the spot in 1838, the ruins of 
former wheels, most unequally worn and totally destroyed, 



OF WISCONSIN. 99 

were strewed about tlie yard. The usual plan of iiiC]-e:isino' 
the weight of the fly-wheel was resorted to uithout success; 
and Mr. Lucy applied to Mr. Buckle to propose a remedy 
for the evil. This remedy Mr. Buckle found in the very 
simple contrivance of a pneumatic pump. So perfect was 
the action of this mechanism that the fly-wheel had been 
wholly removed, and the engine and the whole mill-work 
were moving in the most smooth and eflective manner. It 
was found that the change enabled them to give all the 
grinding stones a greater velocity than formerly, so that the 
quantity ground was greater in the pi'oportion of 52 to 56, 
and the quantity of the finest, or first flour, from the same 
wheat, was likewise much increased ; so that both by quan- 
tity and quality, the owner of that mill was now enabled to 
command the market. The same motion has subsequently 
been applied to cotton mills with perfect success, the quan- 
tity and quality of yarn produced being much improved." 
From what I know myself of the application of water and 
steam power to the coarsest as well as to the most delicate 
description of work, the former, in every case, is found to be 
not only much cheaper, but much more delicate and exact 
in its movements than the latter. For both these reasons, 
in England, where coal is so cheap and abundant, water- 
povvcr is invariablv used whenever it is at all available. — 
Where water is scarce its economy is secured by the con- 
struction of reser^"oirs, which, during wet weather, store up 
spared power to be used in dry weather, when there is an 
insuflSciency of supply. Another mode of maintaining an 
adequate power, when a deficiency of water is found to ex- 
ist, is to make up the deficiency by adding a steam engine, 
which can at all times be worked with the water-wheel. — 
This mode of maintaining any required quantity of power 



100 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

is resorted to in many places diffcient in tlie supply of wa- 
ter. Two steum-engines of one hundred horse power, and 
two overshot wheels may be seen working together at the 
great cotton factory in Portlaw, in Ireland. In such cases 
a small amount of steam-power is required to compensate 
for the deficiency in the supply of water, while no assistance 
at all is required from the engine, so long as the supply of 
water is, of itself, sufficient. Without the co-operative as- 
sistance of steam in places similarly circumstanced as Port- 
law, the water should run waste when it became insufficient, 
or the work should be suspended till a sufficient supply of 
water was procured; but by the application of steam in 
conjunction with water, the full economical value of the lat- 
ter is retained, while the steam-engine may rest altogether 
when the water is, of itself, sufficient to perform the duty. 
Ireland is supposed to possess a greater amount of available 
water power than most countries of equal extent, partly on 
account of the moisture of the climate and the inequalities 
of the surface, w^hich give rise to mimerous springs that 
traverse the country in every direction. The country is 
likewise studded with high mountains and peaks, which 
give the rivers and streams a considerable fall, which favors 
the employment of water wheels to communicate motion to 
mill machinery. This will appear from a comparison of 
the average height of Ireland, which is 287 feet, with that 
of Wisconsin, which I estimated at 350. The area of Wis- 
consin being over once and a half that of Ireland, the avail- 
able fall to generate pov,^er is more gradual in that, and 
therefore less favorable to turn water-wheels than in Ireland. 
This disadvantage added to the small average height, as 
compared with Ireland, tells somewhat against the industrial 
effect of the water power of Wisconsin. To compensate 



OF WISCONSIN'. 101 

for tliis disadvantage, however, we use in Wisconsin a des- 
crij)tion of water wheel which is entirely unknown in Ire- 
land, except as an object of mechanical science. This is the 
reaction wheel, which works under a two foot head of water. 
This property renders the re-action wheel fit for streams 
having very moderate falls. The trifling cost of this wheel 
adapts it to the pockets of most new comers, to whom even 
a small saving is a matter of some consideration. In Great 
Britain and Ireland the wheels employed to communicate 
motion are the overshot wheel, the breast wheel, and the 
undershot wheel. Their usual effects are in the order in 
which they are written. The overshot w^heel when well con- 
structed, gives a working effect of eighty per cent., and in 
genera], its useful effect is not under 7 5 percent. Wherever 
thei-e is an available fall the overshot wheel should invaria- 
bly be preferred. Practical men recommend the use of this 
in every case where the locality affords a fall varying from 
fifteen to fifty feet. In sluggish streams, afibrding much 
water, but little fall, the undershot wdieel is adopted, by 
which a loss of power is sustained equal to two-thirds of 
the w^ater expended, the available useful effect being only 
one-third of the quantity expended. From the great 
quantity of power lost, this wheel should never be used 
if any other could be exployed. Its use is limited in Eu- 
rope to streams having a fall of from two to six feet. — 
Streams having a fall of from six to fifteen feet are adapted 
to the breast wheel, which gives a useful working effect of 
about lifty-five per-cent. of the water expended. On the 
continent of Europe, especially in Bavaria, a water-pressure 
engine is often used in localities having a fall exceeding fifty 
feet. Its workino; effect is somewhat similar to that of the 
overshot wheel. Where the fall is so great as to render it 



102 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

unfit for any of tlie wheels already rati/vioned, tlie water- 
pressure engine is avai,able. Barker's mill, wliich acts on 
the principle of re-action, communicates motion with con- 
siderable advantage, where the fall is considerable snd the 
quantity of water limited. Its useful effect is between one- 
half and one-third of the water expended. The last I shall 
mention is the re-action wheel, so generally used in this 
country. Its use is forced into practice by necessity, which 
indeed often gives rieo to numerous inventions peculiarly 
adapted to existing cucumstances. It may be adopted in its 
modified forms to riiuations quite unsuited to the overshot 
wheel, Avhile it m\j oe substituted for the undershot wheel 
with much advantage. This wheel gives from sixty to sev- 
enty per cent of useful eflect, and besides its adaptation to 
extreme cases, its first cost is comparatively but a trifle. A 
wheel capable to move one run of stones costs about four 
hundred dollars, while a re-action wheel costs only thirty 
dollars. One run of stones will grind twenty bushels in an 
hour, making two hundred revolutions in one minute. In 
America the stones are comparatively of small diameter, but 
their execution is great, owing to the quick velocity with 
which they move. Having paid much attention to those 
practical sciences bearing on the subject of machinery, I 
should willingly devote more time to the discussion of water 
wheels, Avere it not inconsistent with the intended limits of 
the v>^ork, and with its intended purposes. As I am upon 
the subject, it may not, however, be considered out of pl»3e 
to mention that water might be collected in many localities, 
at a very trifling cost, sufficient to drive a large amount of 
machinery and supply towns and cities for all domestic pur- 
poses. Both these ends have been accomplished in a remark- 
able manner by Mr Thom, at Greenock, in Scotland, where 



OF WISCONSIN. 103 

tliat Geiifloman, at a comparatively small expense, collected 
together from the surrounding country, a quantity of water ca- 
pable of producing 2000 horse-power, besides supplying the 
town w^ith plenty of water. All this he accomplished, by 
making an artificial lake or reservoir, commanding the town, 
into wdiieh the rain-water of a large tract of country natural- 
ly collected. Many towns are so circumstanced as to take 
advantage of the plan adopted by ]\Ir. Thom, at Greenock, 
without incurring much expense. 

When a catchment basin could bo formed to command a 
town or city, and supply it with plenty of water, it should 
invariably be done in preference to resorting to the expen- 
sive mode of supplying it by means of steam engines, whicli 
require fuel and attendance — two expensive items, to which 
might be added the expense of wear and tear of i;iachinery. 



CHAPTER V-. 



Although I am veiy far from undGr vahieing the great fa- 
cihties atlorded by Wisconsin to prosecute the various 
branches of manufacturing industiy ; yet, circumstanced as 
the countiy is at present, her population must derive its chief 
support from agricultural pursuits for many yeai's to come. 
The country is yet too young, and the population too thin to 
carry on any branch of manufacture on a scale sufBciently 
large to be remunerative; therefore, a departure from the le- 
gitimate business of new settlers, who, for the most part, 
were farmers in the old country, would be unsafe and un- 
wise. I would not like, however, it should be supposed 
that I am unfavorable to the introduction of such branches 
of mechanical industry as may suit the wants of the State, 
should its present condition enable it to do so. But I ap- 
prehend that, at present, the general mass of the people had 
better turn their attention to the improvement of the soil, 
from A\ hich. for many years to come, they are to derive their 
principal support. I should like, however, to see the neces- 
sary branches of mechanical industry keep pace with the 
growing wealth of the country, and also with the conse- 
quent demand for articles of taste and luxury, as well as of 
usefulness. There is nothing in the one occupation that is 



OF WISCONSIN. 105 

incompatible witli tlie success of the otlier. The farmer 
cultivates his crops to the best advantage where the indus- 
trial arts are in a flourishing condition, and ev9iy description 
of trade prospers just in proportion to the improving con- 
dition of the surrounding agricultural population. With 
us the primary elements of prosperity are in the soil, and 
omly require the strong arm of labor and agricultural skill 
to render them productive. Agriculture is the source of 
that bountiful stream, which, in its course, nourishes every 
department through which it flows. It is the very life-bloocj/^ 
of the human race. AVith it (;very ncAv country must com- 
mence; without it, no new country can prosper. The im- 
portance of the subject, in all its bearings demands more 
than a passing notice; and though it would be inconsistent 
with the intended limits of this work, as well as the general 
plan I had in view, to enter upon a regular discussion rela- 
tive to the various modes employed in the practice of agri- 
culture, yet I feel constrained to point out some glaring de- 
fects in the mode adopted by most of the Wisconsin farm- 
ers, and throw out a few hints calculated to lead to a more 
improved system, not only as regards the cultivation of the 
soil, but also as regards the g-eneral economy that ought to 
ffuide them in all their financial arrangements. It is said 
by a modern writer of eminence that " If agriculture is ever 
to be brought to that comparative state of perfection to 
which other arts have already attained, it will only be by 
availing itself, as they have done, of the very many aids 
Avhich science oflfers to it." Though this is a truth which 
scarcely any one will deny, yet how very few, even in a 
whole state, ever think of calling in the aid of that 
unerring guide in the management of their farms. — 
How few even think of acquiring a knowledge of even 



106 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

the bare elements of those sciences so essential to the eco- 
nomical and successful ^vorking of the farm, much less 
of serving an apprenticeship, though it is the invariable 
practice to do so in other arts and trades, not near so diffi- 
cult to learn. The tailor, the hatter, and the shoe-maker 
sej've a long appreniiceship to acquire a knowledge of their 
respective trades ; but no one ever scarcely thinks of serving 
a single week to a branch which requires a high degree of 
practical and scientific knowledge. This ought not to be so. 
It might ap^^ear strange that a branch of human industry 
coeval with his race, and upon which the very existence of 
the human family may be said, at all times to depend, should 
not have been brought to its ne plus ultra of perfection ma- 
ny ages before this. In all ages since the creation, man ha 
beeu incessantly employed in tilling the ground, with a view 
to raise from it the necessary food for his support ; and in 
proportion to the increase of population, and consequent 
scarcity of land, it became his duty to raise, from a given 
extent, the greatest quantity of useful produce, without per- 
manent injury to the soil, and with the least expenditure of 
labor and cost. In some of the nations of antiquity, a scar- 
city of the necessaries of life was often experienced, arising 
from various causes, which, of course, imposed on them the 
necessity of increased exertion both of skill and labor, as 
regarded agriculture. It has, however, been reserved for 
modern science to effect an improvement in that art, which 
our fathers could not have contemplated. They have trans- 
mitted to us their practical experience, to which we have 
added the numerous facts collected from the sciences of Ge- 
ology and Chemistry, w'hich are comparatively of modern 
date. Our fore fathers, no doubt, from repeated trials, were 
a.vare of many of the obvious qualities of the soil, favora- 



OF WISCONSIN. 107 

Lie or unfavorable to vegetation; Lut were totally unac- 
quainted Avitli numerous otliers wliicli lie dormant until 
awakened into activity by tbe application of proper stimu- 
lants, pointed out by science. The science of Geology fa- 
cilitates tlie labors of tlio agriculturist, by pointing out the 
origin of soils, the causes of their diversity, their general 
character, the benefit or injury resulting from their admix- 
ture, the changes which are constantly taking place on the 
surface of the earth, arising from mechanical and chemical 
causes, and a vast quantity of other information, which, but 
that science alone, can impart. The scirice of chemistry 
enables him to ascertain the elements of which all organ- 
ized substances are composed, the different proportions in 
which these elements enter into the composition of each 
imrticular substance, to analyze the various soils, with a view 
to ascertain the quantity of suitable food afforded by each 
for the nourishment of plants, and supply the deficiency, if 
found to exist, by the application of proper manures in ade- 
quate quantities. By the aid afforded by the sciences of 
Geolog}' and Chemistry, the scientific farmer is conducted 
to results which he never could have arrived at by any other 
means ; and the perfection of liis art, which is still in great 
want of fuither improvement, is only attainable by combin- 
ing with practical experience the assistance afforded by sci- 
ence. It could not be expected that every farmer could be 
a geologist and chemist, but the outlines of these sciences 
ought, doubtless, to form a part of the system of eduofition 
adopted in all our high and common schools, by which a 
taste would soon be formed among enlightened farmers, the 
advantage of which would at once be felt and appreciated. 
It would, for instance, require but a short time and a small 
amount of intellectual exertion, to learn the names of the 



108 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

common rocks of the couiitiy, which, so far as the farmer is 
concerned, are very few in niimher. He might be told that 
the loose soil, -which, in general forms the surface of the 
globe, has been derived from those rocks ; and that the soil 
is fruitful or sterile according to the rocks from which it had 
its origin. The intelligent farmer could soon learn the gen- 
eral outline of this science, by which he could see its direct 
bearing on practical agriculture. For instence, he would 
find it useful to know the constancy in the relative position 
and chai-acter of the stratified rocks, the general character of 
the soil upon them. He would likewise find it useful to 
know the quality of soil derived from the unsti-atified rocks, 
such as the granites and trap rocks; also the physical charac- 
ter of the transported sands, gravels, and clays ; and the re- 
lation between the nature of the soil and the kind of plants 
that naturally giow' upon it. The efiect of temperature on 
the growth of plants is a fact with \Yhich the practical fir- 
mer ought to be acquainted. Altitude, climate, and other 
local circumstances exercise an infiuence aftecting the vege- 
tation of every country, which is perhaps more obvious to 
the senses than any other cause, and which ought to form 
an item of the piactical farmer's knowledge. 

The chemical constitution of the soil and growing crops 
is a subject that may require a man's life lime to learn ; but 
a great deal of what would prove highly useful, in after life, 
may be learned at school or college, in a few months. The 
agriculturist ought to know that the growing crops and the 
soil in which they grow are composed of certain organic and 
inorganic substances ; that the su6stances which contribute 
to the gTow^th, nourishment, and support of his crops, are 
derived from the soil and atmosphere ; that different plants 
take in these substances in difterent proportions, and are 



OF WISCONSIN. 109 

supplied by different soils in different proportions. And, al- 
though every farmer could not be expected to be able to 
make a chemical analysis of every soil and every crop, in 
order to ascertain the exact proportion in which the differ- 
ent substances enter into the composition of each plant, and 
the quantity present in each soil; yet, by learning a little of 
the outlines of the science, he will be enabled to perform 
many experiments, at the expense of a few cents, which could 
not fail of proving useful and interesting. Knowing when 
acids or alkalies are in the soil in too great abundance, the 
scientific agriculturist will, at once, know the proper remedy 
to be applied in order to neutralize the injurious effect of the 
prevailing substances. Knowing, also, that the soil is defi- 
cient in some of those substances that are required to feed 
his plants, he will supply the deficiency by the addition of 
proper manures in sufficient quantities. By founding his 
practice on this principle, he will be the less liable to fail in 
any new experiment he may make to increase the produce of 
his land; he will also be more likely to succeed under varied 
circumstances, as regards soil and climate. 

A farmer may be very successful in one locality, from long 
acquaintance with the habits of the soil and climate, and be 
totally at a loss how to proceed when both are different. 
Indeed, similar soils in two different climates may require 
different treatment ; and he who is guided by principle will 
feel no hesitation to alter his mode of treatment according as 
the circumstances of the case may require; while the person 
whose guide is habit, cannot see w^hy he should adopt a dif- 
ferent mode of treatment from that which he always found to 
answer. This person, who may be termed a local agi-icultu- 
rist, will doubtless be disappointed, while that man whose 
practice is founded on principle, combined with experience, 



no INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

will succeed; being what may be termed an universal agri- 
culturist. He who knows a little of the geological structure 
of the crust of the globe, and of the chemical constitution of 
the different soils, will not find much difficulty in forming a 
correct judgment of the capabilities of any particular soil 
from its external character, and from the plants it naturally 
produces. Would it not be well, therefore, to afford the ris- 
ing generation an opportunity of acquiring a knowledge of 
such importance to the State, by either establishing agricul- 
tural schools, or making agriculture a component part of the 
system of instruction adopted in all our common schools and 
colleges throughout the State T 

I hail, with much pleasure, the organization of agricultural 
societies in many parts of our State, which cannot fail to 
arouse pubhc attention to a department of our resources, on 
which mainly depends the future prosperity of our infant 
country; which, from its situation, soil and cHmate, contains 
all the elements of future greatness, if but properly devel- 
oped. I am glad to find that an appropriation of $3,000 has 
been recently made by the legislature to aid the agricultural 
societies. 

The absence of extensive swamps, spreading their deadly 
influence far and wide, and the proximity of our ocean lakes, 
moderating our climate, and preventing those extremes of 
heat and cold, which act so injuriously on animal and veget- 
able life in other places, are blessings which we do not duly 
appreciate. The peculiar contour of the surface, giving fa- 
cility of drainage to every district, Vv'hile its undulating char- 
jacter gives rise to numerous springs that send forth, in every 
direction, streamlets, through the channels of which flows 
the very life-blood of agriculture. And the union of two or 
more of these streamlets, by the unevenness of the surface, 



OF WISCONSIN. Ill 

creating sufficient power to drive the machinery used to con- 
vert the produce of the soil into food for man and beast, are 
circumstances highly favorable to the agriculturist. 

With all the advantages pointed out in the preceding 
pages, Wisconsin farmers have no reason to complain of the 
want of an easy, expeditious and cheap mode of transmitting 
the produce of their farms to a good market. With all these 
advantages, and with a hardy, industrious and active popula- 
tion, the State of Wisconsin may look forward with confi- 
dence to be able to compete with the mos.;t favored State of 
the Union. Nature has done her part, by giving us a soil of 
unsurpassed fertility, with a surface of endless variety, rivers 
and lakes of crystal purity, and a sky free from hazy fogs and 
drizzling mists, and it only remains for us to convert all these 
natural advantages to some useful purpose. 

At present, this State derives her principal resources from 
the soil, and, as I have stated before, must continue to do so 
for some years to come. It is, therefore, the duty of all to 
contribute, in one way or other, to the improvement of that 
art, trade, or business, from the exercise of which we derive 
our chief support. And it is a strange fact, that, though ag- 
riculture must have been the first business in which man was 
engaged, and therefore the oldest trade, nevertheless few 
trades are less understood. For thousands of years, the same 
invariable practice was pursued in the old country, as regard- 
ed the raising of stock and the cultivation of various crops — 
the son never daring to deviate from the practice of the fa- 
ther in such matters. Ignorant of those sciences that bear 
directly upon animal and vegetable physiology, the farmer 
could make no advance towards an improved system. And if 
he happened to hit upon an improved mode of management, 
it was the result of chance, not of scientific investigation. 



S12 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. 

It is not so at present in many parts of the State. Guid- 
ed by the sciences of chemistry and geology, we can try more 
experiments, leading to useful results, in a few hours, than 
our forefathers, unaided by such lights, could effect in as 
many centuries. Encouraged by the certainty of success, 
under the guidance of science, men of education in every 
part of Europe and America turned their attention, sometime 
since, to the improvement of agriculture. Men of wealth 
and influence soon formed themselves into societies to en- 
courage the successful experimentalist by the bestowal of 
honorary and pecuniary rewards; and thus instructed and en- 
couraged, the farmer no longer treads in the footsteps of his 
father, but following the advice and example of enlightened 
practical men, he adopts a system which amply rewards him 
by an increased amount of produce quite unattainable under 
the old system of management. 

I am happy to see the State of Wisconsin following the 
laudable example set her by her older sister States. The 
agricultural societies already formed, and those in progress of 
formation in many parts of the State, must be productive of 
much good. 

The show fairs for the exhibition of improved breeds of 
stock and implements of husbandry; of different specimens 
of plants, fruits and flowers; of works of art and of agricul- 
tural produce of every kind, cannot fail to excite a spirit of 
rivalry, which must necessarily tend to the general good of 
all. Any suggestion having for its object the improvement 
of agriculture, should be extensively circulated; and the me- 
dium through which useful knowledge is communicated ought 
to be encouraged by all whom it may concern. He who 
suggests a plan by which " two blades of grass may be grown, 
where only one had been raised before, is a useful benefactor;" 



OF WISCONSIN. 113 

and he who communicates information to the public is no 
less useful. Hence it appears that an agricultural publi- 
cation in one or two parts of the State, to give pubhcity to 
the proceedings and reports of societies and individuals rela- 
tive to agricultural improvements, ought to receive public 
support. 

in this age of progress, we must keep pace with our neigh- 
bors, if we wish to take advantage of those natural resources 
so abundantly placed before us in every part of the State. If 
we neglect this duty, we shall be left far behind. Having 
expressed my opinion that Wisconsin must chiefly depend on 
her agricultural resources, for many years to come; therefore 
it becomes the duty of every farmer to pay due attention to 
the cultivation of those crops that pay best, and are least li- 
able to injury from the eflfect of climate or other existing 
causes. He is also bound to try other branches of farming, 
when they promise a larger and more certain return for the 
outlay of capital and labor bestowed on them. For the last 
two or three successive years, we have suffered considerably 
from the failure of the wheat crop, which has crippled the 
farmers considerably, but the abundant harvest of the present 
year (1853) and the unusually high prices of produce of ev- 
ery description, have revived their drooping spirits and placed 
them in comparatively affluent circumstances, which is visible 
by the number of shanties which are being replaced by com- 
fortable and sightly frame dwelhngs in every part of the 
State. Should we be blessed next year with such another 
harvest as that which has passed, our farmers and the State in 
general will occupy an enviable position among the States of 
the Union. 

Having stated, more than once, that the future prosperity 
of the State depends, in a great measure, on the attention 



114 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

paid to improved modes of husbandry, which consists chiefly 
in deep ploughing, thorough draining, and due attention to 
cleaning, manuring, and providing good seed, a ^J: hints up- 
on these subjects may not be considered out of place. The 
following facts in relation to the habits of plants, will show 
the necessity of deep ploughing or digging. 

It is a fact not generally known that plants, in general, 
send their roots to a greater depth than is generally noticed, 
when not obstructed by some hard or impenetrable substance. 
Turnips are known sometimes to send their fibres to a depth 
exceeding two feet, while they extend themselves in a lateral 
direction upwards of four feet from the bulb. Wheat, oats 
and grass-seed send forth some of their roots to a depth of 
more than twenty or thirty inches; bean and clover roots 
penetrate the soil to the depth of three feet; and flax, two 
feet and a half. A gentleman, who devoted much of his 
time to agricultural pursuits, told me that he traced bean and 
flax roots to the depth of forty-two inches. 

I state these facts to show the necessity of working the 
soil to a considerable depth for the reception of what are 
termed surface roots. Though it forms no part of my plan to 
enter into a detailed description, either of the actual methods 
now adopted in the agricultural operations of Wisconsin, or 
of the propositions now under discussion for the general im- 
provement of that great branch of human industry, yet the 
time will not be spent uselessly, which I mean to devote to a 
department that seems to have been overlooked in this State. 

Thorough draining, so for as my observations go, has never 
received any share of attention in Wisconsin; neither have I 
seen any attention paid to subsoil ploughing, manuring, or 
weeding. The high rate of wages and the low price of land 
in this State, induce farmers, in general, to till extensively 



OF WISCONSIN. 115 

rather than well; but the farmer desirous of reaping a plentiful 
harvest must, in the first place, be particularly careful to re- 
tain no : .''e water in the soil than is essential to vegetation; 
a greater quantity being invariably injurious. 

His land being dry, his next care should be to enrich it with 
manure, without which an abundant crop cannot be expected 
where the soil is, in any degree, exhausted from previous 
cropping. 

Draining and deep ploughing being attended to, the next 
duty that devolves on the farmer is, to keep his land clean. 
These principles must be always kept in view. Any of them 
being neglected proves injurious. Manure is thrown away, to 
no purpose, on land (especially in cold chmates) containing 
an excess of water, which never fails to diminish the fertihty 
of the soil, and encourage the growth of coarse grasses and 
useless weeds. This is so well understood in Great Britain 
and Ireland, that the thorough draining of the land is particu- 
larly attended to by every one deserving the name of an 
agriculturist. When the ground is not kept clean, weeds en- 
croach upon the useful plants, very often gaining the ascend- 
ancy by extracting from the soil an undue proportion of 
nourishing juices, which should be reserved solely for the use 
of the growing crop intended for consumption. When nox- 
ious weeds are allowed to grow up among grain crops, or 
vegetables of any kind, they deprive them of their due pro- 
portion of light and air, which are essential to their growth 
and perfection. The same remark applies to pasture and 
meadow land, which should be kept dry, manured and clean. 
I have seen useless weeds in many parts of these western 
states occupying the place of the sweetest herbage, after 
having smothered it altogether. This should be prevented by 
checking the growth of such weeds before their number and 



116 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

size become injurious. Formerly, few persons, even in the 
old country, understood draining upon scientific principles. 
The plan then pursued was both expensive and inefficient, 
owing, no doubt, to a want of knowledge of the geological 
formation of the earth's upper strata. 

A proper knowledge of the cause producing excessive 
moisture, frequently saves time, labor and expense; as a sin- 
gle drain made in the proper place and direction, may effect 
more than ten made without reference to the producing cause. 
Rain water is retained either on the surface, where it evapo- 
rates, or penetrates to a lower level, through beds of sand, 
gravel, or other permeable substances; and at some small 
distance beneath the surface, meeting an impenetrable 
bed, it flows through the porous stratum, which usually ter- 
minates at, or near the surface, and at which point it escapes, 
spreading itself over the surface in all directions, where the 
land is lower than the point of escape. While the water re- 
mains far under the surface, it does no injury ; it is, therefore, 
the business of the drainer to check its progress before it 
reaches the surface, by confining it to some channel from 
which it may be carried away through some convenient out- 
let. These observations will be easily understood, by refer- 
ring to the diagrams in my treatise on thorough draining. 
When the swamps and many of the shallow lakes throughout 
the State shall have been drained, a considerable area will be 
gained for Agricultural purposes, and much water-power cre- 
ated, by being collected into narrow channels, instead of being 
spread over a large surface, from which only a part would 
evaporate, and the rest remain to the great injury of the soil. 

The absence of high Mountains extends the area of Wis- 
consin for Agricultural purposes, while the height of moun- 



OF WISCONSIN. 117 

tains and peaks in many other countries places them above 
the range of vegetation ; the highest of the mounds of Wis- 
consin is be)ow that range. The few swamps it contains 
command a sufficient fall for drainage, and the limited quan- 
tity of inferior quahty of soil is covered with pine and other 
forest trees, which, at all times, must command remunerative 
prices in the market, and be otherwise useful for domestic 
purposes. So it might be said of the State of Wisconsin that 
every acre of its surface is available for some profitable purpose. 

In connecting with this notice of the actual circumstances 
of the surface of Wisconsin as regards Agricultural capabili- 
ties, the important question of how its powers may be aug- 
mented and protected from that impoverishing effect of crop- 
ping, invariably observable in lands under unskillful cultiva- 
tion, it may be necessary to show that the action of plants 
upon the soil has this deteriorating tendency. A plant re- 
ceives all its nourishment from the soil in which it grows, 
and from the atmosphere ; and if we analyze the plant, we 
shall readily find what it has taken from the soil. If the soil 
thus deprived of a certain proportion of nourishing ingredients 
should not contain the necessary nourishment for another 
crop, the deficiency must be supplied by manuring ; other- 
wise the fertility of the soil will continue to diminish, and 
every successive crop, from the diminution of the necessary 
food for its support, will necessarily diminish, at least in quan- 
tity, if not in quality. Hence it appears that, to keep the soil 
in good condition and raise a good, healthy, productive crop, 
a perfect knowledge of the constituent parts of both is es- 
sential. 

In like manner, in applying vegetable substances to the 
feeding of animals, it is of equal importance to know what 
they severally contain ; as then the science of Chemistry and 



118 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Physiology would enable us to make a selection of the food 
best suited to the individual. The three great divisions of 
Nature are co-relative and mutually compensating. Plants 
derive their food partly from the earth — animals theirs from 
plants. Animals and plants die, and return their elements to 
the soil, which sends them back in the same order as before ; 
hence everything in nature is referable to some one or other 
of these three divisions. All plants and animals are com- 
posed of sixteen elements, the chief being carbon, hydrogen, 
oxygen and nitrogen ; carbon being a soUd substance, and 
the other three gases. The remaining elements, though 
usually present in small quantities, are no less essential to the 
healthy condition of the growing plants. The great duty of 
the farmer, then, is to ascertain the composition of the soil, 
and the action of the plants upon it. As the farmer could not 
be supposed to be able to make a chemical analysis of the 
soil, it becomes the imperative duty of the State to supply it. 
Scientific gentlemen connected with the public institutions 
of learning, would be the most fit persons to undertake this 
task. Professor Hitchcock furnishes a most valuable table, 
by which a comparison can be instituted between the soils 
of WiscDnsin and Massachusetts. This comparison is, of it- 
self, sufficient to prove the productive quality of the former : 

Massachusetts. Wisconsin. 
Average quantity of organic mat- 
ter, (soluble,) - - - 3.90 4.90 
Average quantity of inorganic mat- 
ter, (insoluble,) - - - 3.70 6.13 
Average specific quantity of soil, 2.44 1.84 

From an inspection of this table it will readily appear, that 
the quantity of organic matter in the Wisconsin soil far ex- 
ceeds that of the Massachusetts, while its specific gravity is 
very much less. 



OF WISCONSIN. 1X9 

In looking over the analysis of the soils of Wisconsin and 
Massachusetts, by Dr. Owen and Professor Hitchcock, I find 
in every case, that where the specific gravity is small, the or- 
ganic matter in the soil is invariably large ; from which we 
may infer the quality of soils by their specific gravities. This, 
however, though forming a sort of clue to the quality of soil, 
may bring us to conclusions not in all cases satisfactory. 
Analysis of a sandy soil collected above the mouth of the Chip- 
pewa, hy Dr. Norwood : 

Water, 1.02 
Organic matter soluble in carbonate of ammonia, 1.75 

Organic matter, insoluble, 0.25 

Insoluble sihcates, 93.00 

Peroxide of iron, 1.65 

Alumina, 1.22 

Carbonate of hme, 0.10 

Phosphate of hme, not appreciable, 0.00 

Carbonate of magnesia, 0.01 

Alkiles, not appreciable, 0.00 

Inorganic acids and loss, 1 .00 



100.00 
From this table it appears that a soil containing only two 
per cent, of organic matter, with ninety -three per cent, of in- 
solijble silicates, less than four per cent, of soluble sahne mat- 
ter, consisting of oxide of iron and alumina, and only a mere 
trace of calcareous earth, holds out no great prospect to the 
farmer. It is, however, right to mention that this district 
produces crops far better than I could expect from a combina- 
tion of such materials. 



120 INDUSTRIAL RESOtTECES 

Analysis of soil derived from the decomposition of the Lower 
Magnesia Limestone qt Eau Golli : 

Water, 2.60 

Organic matter, 8.20 

Silicic acid, dissolved by chloroydzic acid, 0.04 

Carbonate of lime, 0.80 

Magnesia, 0.32 

Oxide of iron, 2.68 

Alumina, dissolved by chlorodic acid, 3.04 

Alumina, dissolved by sulphuric acid, 1.00 

Alkiles, . 0.00 

Phosphate of lime and iron, 0.01 

Insoluble silicates, 77.10 

Inorganic acids, combined with above and loss, 4.23 



100.00 
An inspection of this table will readily show how much bet- 
ter the soil derived from this rock is than that exhibited in the 
preceding table. It is rich in mineral salts, which give rapid- 
ity to growth and durability to the soil: while the table of the 
sandy soil above the mouth of the Chippewa, above exhibited, 
gives only two per cent, of organic matter, this gives 8.20 per 
cent., besides 1.22 per cent, of salts; the sandy soil giving 
scarcely four per cent, of saline matter. This soil is also 
richer in the carbonate of lime than that. » 

An analysis of the soils resting on the different rocks of the 
State would be a valuable acquisition to the agriculturist ; as 
upon it he would soon base a system which would be much 
more profitable than any that he could derive from bare ob- 
servation. 

Having introduced the constitution of soils, it might be well 
to state that they consist of two parts : the one organic, 



OF WISCONSIN. 121 

which can be burned when the soil is heated to redness ; and 
and the other inorganic, which is fixed in the fire, consisting 
entirely of earthy and saline substances. The organic part 
0^ the soil is the remains of animals and vegetables, which 
had once lived and died, and which have been spread over 
the surface of the ground by rivers, rains and other agencies. 
These substances add to the natural fertility of the soil. In 
different soils, these organic substances exist in different 
quantities. In peaty soils it forms from 50 to YO per cent, of 
the weight, and as much as 26 per cent, is found in rich, long 
cultivated soils ; but, in ffeneral, it is found in much smaller 
proportions, even in the best arable lands. It is known that 
oats and rye will grow in land containing only l}4 per cent. ; 
barley will grow in soils containing from 2 to 3 per cent. ; but 
a good wheat crop will require from 4 to 8 per cent. From 
10 to 12 per cent, is found in some clayey soils. In gardens 
long cultivated, and all pasture lands, the entire of the upper 
part of the surface is composed of organic matter, which 
yields to the plants ulmic, humic, geic, cromic, and apocrenic 
acids. When animal matter is present, ammonia is produced 
by the decaying process of organized substances. 

Besides the important office of supplying the growing plant 
with these substances, the soil supplies also a considerable 
quantity of inorganic matter, such as saline and earthy sub- 
stances, which are liberated or set free during the decay of 
the organized plant. When we analyse a crop and discover 
that, in a healthy state, it contains certain proportions of or- 
ganic and inorganic substances, then, if upon examination a 
soil is found deficient in any of these substances, whether or- 
ganic or inorganic, the deficiency must be added, otherwise 
a good crop cannot be expected. The surface soil of every 
district is composed of these organic and inorganic substances, 



122 INDXJSTIAL RESOURCES 

mixed together in various proportions, which act upon the 
plant injuriously, or otherwise, accordin;,'? to the deficiency, or 
to the quantity present in the soil of some of these substances. 
The subsoil is variable in quantity and quality, and exercises 
a very important part in the production of crops, as is well 
known to every intelligent fariner. The physical properties 
of the subsoil, in connection with the effects of chmate, affect 
vegetation in a very high degree. The effects of climate 
upon the upper soil is also very great. Some soils are dense 
and others light Sandy and marly soils are the heaviest, 
and peaty soils the lightest. Some soils absorb more moist- 
ure than others, and retain it longer. Peaty soils absorb 
most, and sandy soils least. Strong clays absorb and retain 
nearly three times as much water as sandy soils ; hence the 
necessity of draining peaty and clayey soils. 

The capilary attraction of soils influence t'be growth of 
plants. The different capacities of soils to lose wrater by evap- 
oration affect the growth of plants. In dry w eather plants 
would be burnt up in a sandy soil, while they naay prosper in 
a soil retaining moisture. On the contrary, plants may flour- 
ish on a sandy soil in wet weather, while in a soil retentive 
of water, they would perish, or at least would not be produc- 
tive as in clayey and peaty soils. Shrinking or diminishing 
in bulk is another property of the soil, which has some influ- 
ence on the growth of plants. Clayey and pe; ity soils shrink 
most, and sandy soils least, if at all. * In dry weather this 
property of the soil acts most injuriously oix the growing 
plants. The soil, in shrinking, grasps the teiader ropts, and 
often squeezes them to death. Hence the utility of mixing 
sandy and gravelly soils with stiff clayey soils. The sand or 
gravel prevents the squeezing tendency of the clay to injure 
he roots by compressing them, and admits tha air also , which 



OF WISCONSIN. 12»tl 

would otherwise be excluded. In dry seasons, peat or clay, 
mixed with sandy soils, improves them by making them ab- 
sorb more moisture from the atmosphere, and retain it longer. 
Different degrees of heat exercise a considerable influence on 
vegetation. A wet soil takes a longer time in acquiring a 
degree of heat sufficient to produce vegetation than dry soils. 
Hence the necessity of thorough draining. Color also enters 
into the functions of vegetation. Blackish vegetable mould* 
and dry sand, and clay, become heated lo nearly equal de- 
grees, by exposure to the sun during equal times. 

Besides a knowledge of those physiological properties of the 
soil, its chemical composition must be understood. Professor 
Johnson very properly Bays, that soils perform at least three 
functions in relation to vegetation. "They serve as a basis - 
in which plants may fix their roots, and sustain themselves 
in an erect position ; they supply inorganic food to vegetables 
at every period of their growth, and they are the medium in 
which many chemi(jal changes take place, that are essential 
to the right preparation of the various kinds of food which the 
soil is destined to yneld to the growing plant." I have said^ ' 
in one of the preceddng pages, that when a plant dies, its ele- 
ments, under the influence of chemical affinities, are reduced 
to a blackish mould, chemically termed humus, or ulmic. 
Sir Robert Kane says, that when perfectly pure, this sub- 
stance contains no nitrogen, and consists of, as prepared : 
From Wood. From Sugar. 
Carbon, 72.7 65.65 

Hydrogen, 6.1 4.28 

Oxygen, 21.2 30.07 



100.00 100.00 

This material is destitute of any power on vegetation. In 
the process of tlae decomposition of vegetable matter, it 



124 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

evolves carbonic acid, and absorbs oxygen from the atmos- 
phere, as also a considerable quantity of nitrogen, which en- 
ters into the constitution of the new product, which finally 
acquires almost the composition of an animal substance, as 
may be seen under. This new product is termed nitrogen. 
Nitrogen. Flesh. 

Carbon, 67.20 55.20 

Hydrogen, 6.32 7.00 

Nitrpgeu, 12.20 16.89 

Oxygen, 24.28 20.90 



100.00 100.00 

The decomposition of this nitrogen, when in contact with 
air and moisture, is similar to that of animal bodies. The 
roots and fibres of plants left in the ground to rot, by a similar 
chemical process, form food for the next generation of plants. 
A certain relation exists between the soil and the plants 
that grow upon it ; a fact well known to the most unobserv- 
ing farmer. While one description of soil will yield an abun- 
dant crop of wheat, another description will refuse it any 
sustenance whatever. While pine timber will grow naturally 
on one soil, beech will be the natural growth of another. — 
The mountain top will naturally grow heath or moss, but 
when abundantly limed, these are displaced by natural grasses 
or daisies. Hence it appears that the seeds lie dormant in the 
soil, till they are awakened into vital existence by the pres- 
ence of the food necessary for their support. If this doctrine 
be denied, there is no alternative left but spontaneous exist- 
ence. When any soil denies to the plant sufficient food for 
its support, it dies off* and is succeeded by a different plant, 
whose wants can be supphed by the food still remaining in 
the soil, adapted to its nature. 



OF WISCONSIN. 125 

It has been stated before that the natural operations of na- 
ture point out the necessity of a regular rotation of cropping. 
The analysis of different crops show, that one crop takes 
away from the soil a certain quantity of food ; another ex- 
tracts a certain quantity of another description, leaving still 
plenty for the support of a third crop, different from the other 
two. Here it may be seen that the same soil may amply 
supply three different crops, while the same crop perhaps 
might grow but indifferently the second year, and die off the 
third for want of sufficient food for its support. Hence the 
necessity of manuring the soil specially for particular crops. 

But following nature, a more economical plan might be 
adopted ; namely, a proper rotation. Science points out the 
best rotation, which books on agriculture will describe. As 
well as the same soil, to be economically worked, requires a 
proper rotation of crops, so likewise does it require the same 
seed to be changed as often as possible. Every farmer is 
aware of the utitity of this practice. 

In order to illustrate some of the statements made in the 
preceding part of this work, and also to shew the great ad- 
vantage of a superabundant supply of certain substances — to 
prolong the agricultural capabilities of the soil, and restore it 
vrhen worn out by injudicious tillage, I subjoin the composi- 
tion of three different soils, as determined by Spregnel, a cel- 
ebrated German chemist, who devoted much attention to Ag- 
ricultural Science. The three soils are under the numbers 1, 
2, 3 — number 1 being a very fertile alluvial soil from East 
Friesland, formerly overflowed by the sea, but under cultiva- 
tion for 60 years without manure ; number 2 being a fertile 
soil, producing excellent crops of clover, pulse, rape, potatoes, 
and turnips, " the two last more especially when manured 
with gypsum" ; and number 3 being a very barren soil from 
Luneberg : 



126 



INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



Soluble saline matter, 

Fine clay and organic matter, 

Silicious sand, 



No. 1. 
18 

45 



No. 2. 

1 
839 
160 



No. 3. 
1 

699 
400 



1000 1000 1000 
These numbers present very striking differences. No. 1 
contains a large quantity of saline matter, consisting of com- 
mon salt, chloride of potassium, sulphate of potash, sulphate 
of lime, sulphate of magnesia, sulphate of iron, and phos- 
phate of soda, while No. 3 contains a large proportion of sand, 
but is deficient in other substances which confer fertility, as 
shown in the subjoined table, in which the finer portions, sep- 
arated from the sand and soluble matter, consisted, in 1000 
parts of — 





No. 1. 


No. 2. 


No. 3. 


Organic matter, 


97 


50 


40 


Silica, 


648 


833 


778 


Alumina, 


57 


51 


91 


Lime, 


69 


18 


4 


Magnesia, 


8K 


8 


1 


Oxide of iron. 


61 


30 


81 


Oxide of magnesia, 


1 


3 


K 


Potash, 


2 


trace 


trace 


Soda, 


4 


do 


do 


Ammonia, 


trace 


do 


do 


Chlorine, 


2 


do 


do 


Sulphuric acid. 


2 


X 


do 


Phosphoric acid. 


4K 


^% 


do 


Carbonic acid, 


40 


^% 


do 


liOSS, 


14 


— 


4)^ 



1000 



1000 



1000 



■u^ 



OF WISCONSIN. 



127 



In reviewing this table, it appears that No. 1 contains all 
the elements of fertility, having 10 per cent of organic mat- 
ter, nearly 6 per cent of lime, a large quantity of saline mat- 
ter, with the acids, soda, and potash, in sufficient quantities. 
The soil No. 2 shows a deficiency of soluble saline matter, 
and also of lime and organic ingredients ; but, on the whole, 
it contains (som^ in limited quantities) all the elements of 
fertility, and under proper management, may be made highly 
productive. The figures under No. 3, show a great deficiency 
of organic matter, and lime, but an excess of the oxide of 
iron. The effect of this excess of iron must be neutralized, 
and the substances found wanting supplied by the application 
of manure in proper proportions ; otherwise this already mis- 
erable soil should be given up to hopeless sterility. It is of 
the greatest importance to know the constitution of the soil, 
as well as of the plants intended to grow upon it, as then, if 
the soil should be found deficient in the particular food re- 
quired by the plant, it could be supplied from the farm yard, 
or some other source. In like manner, when we know the 
ingredients in the composition of a plant, we can make a pro- 
per selection to feed animals, either for fattening or for the 
pail. Impressed with the importance of this knowledge, I 
copy the following table, drawn up by Sir Robert Kane, from 
accurate analysis, by Baussingault. 

100 parts of the following substances, considered as dry, 
consists of— ^ 



Wheat, 

Wheat straw, 

Oats, 

Oat straw. 

Potatoes, 

Turnips, 

Red clover hay. 



Carbon. 


Hydrogen. 


Oxygen. 


Nitrogen. 


Ashes. 


46.1 


5.8 


43.4 


2.3 


2.4 


48.4 


5.3 


38.9 


0.4 


7.5 


50.7 


6.4 


36.7 


2.2 


4.0 


50.1 


5.4 


39.0 


0.4 


6.1 


44.0 


5.8 


44.7 


1.5 


4.0 


42.9 


5.5 


42.3 


1.7 


7.6 


47.4 


5.0 


37.8 


2.1 


7.7 



128 



INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



Vi 



100 parts of these, in their ordinary state of moisture, con- 
tain usually- 



CloTer I 
hay. I 

79 

21 



Tur- 
nips, 



Pota- 
toes. 



I Wheat 



Do. 
straw. 

"74" 



Oats, 



Oat 
straw. 

71.3 

28.7 



straw. 

"sTo" 

4.1 
3.2 
4.7 
8.3 

2.8 
24.6 

4.4 
40.0 

2.1 

2.9 



Pota- 


Tur- 


Clo- 


toes. 


nips. 


ver. 


HTs 


6.1 


~6J 


7.1 


10.9 


2.6 


13.4 


14.0 


26.0 


2.7 


2.9 


2.6 


1.8 


10.9 


24.6 


6.4 


4.3 


6.3 


61.6 


33.7 


26.6 


trace 


4.1 


0.6 


6.6 


6.4 


6.3 


0.6 


1.2 


0.3 


0.7 


6.6 


0.0 



Dry material, I 79 7.6 24.1 | 86.6 I 74 79.2 
Water, I 21 | 92.5 j 76.9 I 14.6 | 26 20.8 

100 parts of the ashes of these substances contain — 

Wheat ^J^^^f Oats ^^^ 

Phosphoric acid, 47.0 3.1 14.9 
Sulphuric acid, 1.0 1.0 1.0 
Carbonic acid, 1.0 1.0 1.7 
Chlorine, trace 0.6 0.6 

Lime, 2.9 8-6 3.7 

Magnesia, 16.9 6.0 i 7.7 

Potash, 29.6 9.2 \ 12.9 

Soda, trace 0.3 I 0.0 

Sihca, 1.3 67.6 163.3 

Alumina, 1.3! 1.0 j 1.3 

Moisture & loss, 2.4 | 3.7 | 3.0 

By means of these investigations of Baussingault, I could 
actually ascertain the exact quantity of these various elements 
taken from the soil, by the growing crop ; but having already 
exceeded the hmits which I first proposed, I can only refer 
such as might be anxious to pursue this subject farther to 
works written expressly on agriculture. These results show 
liow numerous are the substances which the plants abstract 
■from the soil, and if the process of abstraction be continued, 
iit would ultimately be left barren, and unable to sustain a 
.'growing crop in a healthy state. Therefore the land must 
be renewed, either by manuring or by allowing it to repose. 

Wishing to limit myself on this subject, I shall only briefly 
«tate the most approved plan resorted to by the best agricul- 
turalists. 

The admixture of clay with sand or peat produces both a 
physical and chemical alteration, favorable to cultivation ; so 



or WISCONSIN. 129 

does lime, mixed with other substances, form an excellent com- 
post, which, when applied to soils containing- little or none 
of this fertilizer, never fails of having a good efTect. Land 
may be increased in permanent value by planting it. All woods 
however, are not equally effective in improving the soil. — 
Scotch fir effects very little improvement ; beech and spruce 
effect still less ; but under ash, oak, larch, and other tribes 
whose leaves contain enriching matter, the soil is increased 
in value. Land laid down to artificial grasses for some years 
is restored to a sound condition. Running watSr being always 
charged with both organic and inorganic food for plants in a 
greater or less degree, should not be allowed to escape with- 
out discharging a very important duty — that of enriching the 
soil wherever the circumstances of the surface would admit it. 
Pure water is known to improve the soil considerably, but the 
benefit bestowed will be increased in proportion to the quan- 
tity of manuring ingredients conveyed to the surface. It is 
upon this principle that lime or shell marl is sometimes diluted 
in the water of the upper carrier, in order that its particles 
may be conveyed to the different parts of the ground. Salt is 
excellent upon rushy and sour pastures, which are subject to 
occasion rot in sheep ; such is its effects, that it prevents that 
destructive evil from attacking them. The salt, as well as 
the lime, or marl, should be put in small quantities into the 
upper cut, and stirred about occasionally, in order that it may 
be borne down by the stream, and equally diffused among 
the roots of the grass, which will soon prove the beneficial 
effects of such a mixture. When the velocity of the water in 
the cut is imperceptible, it is useless to impregnate it with 
salt or rich earth, as the particles will soon fall to the bottom, 
gravity exerting a greater force than the propelling force of 
the water. I have observed that the fertihzing effects of 



130 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

water, whether pure or charged with manuring ingredients, is 
very great. Therefore, the practice of irrigating land should 
never be neglected. What has tended to fertilize the arrid 
land of the Egyptians but the periodical overflowing of the 
turbid waters of the Nile. So duly is the benefit derived from 
the watering of the land appreciated by some scientific farmers, 
that the practice is never omitted at the proper season, while 
others seem to be indifferent to so cheap a source of improve- 
ment. I have had considerable experience in this department 
of improvemeifit in the old country, and I can assert that, in 
every case where it was tried, the result was beneficial. The 
water should never be allowed on land before it is thoroughly 
drained, nor on any place from which it could not be drawn 
off at pleasure. 

The sinuosities of the surface of Wisconsin are favorable 
to irrigation, and where water and a sloping surface present 
themselves, advantage should be taken of the concurrent cir- 
cumstance. In many parts of Europe, as well as in the United 
States, the land is sown with green crops, which are ploughed 
into the soil to enrich it. Straw, hay, saw-dust, bran, brew- 
ers' grain, malt dust, rape dust, charcoal powder, sea weed, 
marl, sea sand, gypsum, tanners' bark, soot, coal dust, and 
coal tar, are used in various ways as fertilizers. Peat is ex- 
tensively used as a manure in countries which abound in bogs. 
Peat charcoal is also used, and where turf is the only fuel 
used for domestic purposes, the ashes are of some importance 
as a manure. The ashes of pure turf are similar to those of 
other plants, except that the soluble ingi-edients, for the most 
part, are absent. For instance, the quantity of potash pres- 
ent in most ashes of plants, is not found in turf ashes. From 
an analysis carefully conducted on tl^e continent of Europe, 
turf ashes differ in their constitution ; some containing magne- 



OF WISCONSIN. 131 

sia, potash, soda, sulphuric acid, &c., which are highly bene- 
ficial ; while the ashes of a difterent description of turf, on 
account of the absence of some of these substances, are of 
little value. « 

Every farmer is aware of the action of animal manures, 
which are much more stimulating than vegetable manures. 
The rehise of fish, skins, tallow, and of other animal sub- 
stances, are employed with much advantage to renovate the 
soil. Wool, hair, woolen rags, and all similar substances 
exercise a higher and more lasting influence on the soil than 
any description of vegetable matter. Blood, mixed with other 
ingredients, makes a good compost. Shell fish, bones, and 
hoof parings are used as manures with good efTect. 

The relative value of vegetable manures is estimated, first : 
by the relative quantity of inorganic matter they contain ; and 
second, by the relative quantity of nitrogen present in each. 
Digested animal substances, such as night soil, the solid ex- 
crement of horses, cows, sheep, hogs, and birds, are known * 
to exercise great influence on vegetation. The urine of men, 
horses, cows, and other animals, is in high esteem among 
agriculturahsts. Trifling as the quantity of urine voided by 
animals may be considered, its waste amounts to a national 
loss, which, in amount, is incredible. Mr. Smith, of Deans- 
town, one of the first authorities in England upon such mat- 
ters, says that the urine of two men is sufficient to manure an 
acre of land ; and, if mixed with ashes, will produce a good 
crop of turnips. The quantity of phosphates in human urine 
gives it a higher value, as compared with the urine of other 1 
animals, in which these substances are absent. Liquid ma- 
nure should never be allowed to go to waste. If not collected 
in tanks, as in many parts of Britain, it should be made to 
flow over the surface of some field, which it could not fail to 
improve. 



132 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. 

The large quantity of ammonia in guano, gives it fertilizing 
powers which are generally known and acknowledged. This 
substance contains also a proportion of phosphates, which 
enhance its value. Valuable as many of these substances 
are, as manures, some are so expensive, and more so scarce, 
that their use must always be confined to individuals, and to 
particular localities. They may all, however, be supplied by 
the use of the farm yard manure, which is within the reach 
of every farmer, and which contains all the elements of fer- 
tility — a quality not possessed by any particular manuring 
substance mentioned in this chapter. Its quantity and quality 
depend on the rigid economy used in collecting it, and upon 
the manner in which it is made, kept, and used on the farm. 
The following is the result of analysis of farm yard manure 
in a half rotted condition, by Bausingault. The result, of 
course, depends on circumstances, which are continully 
changing, and therefore no two will exactly agree. The ma- 
nure, in its usual form, contains 20.7 per cent, of dry mate- 
rial, and 79.3 of water : 





Richest. 


Poorest. Average, 


Carbon, 


40.0 


32.4 35.8 


Hydrogen, 


4.3 


3.8 4.2 


Nitrogen, 


2.4 


1.7 2.0 


Oxygen, 


27.6 


25.8 25.8 


Salts and earth, 


25.7 


32.2 32.2 




100.0 


100.0 100.0 


The ashes of 100 


parts of this 


manure contains — 


Carbonic acid. 




2.0 


Phosphoric acic 


I, 


3.0 


Sulphuric acid, 




1.9 


Chlorine, 




0.6 



OP WISCONSIN. 133 

Silica, sand and clay, 66.4 

Lime, 8.6 

Magnesia, 3.6 

Oxide of iron and alumina, 6.1 

Potash and soda, 7.8 

By inspecting- this analysis, it will be seen that it contains 
all the constituents of plants in general, and therefore all the 
wants of the farm can be supplied from the d^ing heap, at an 
expense, too, which no industrious farmer could feel. As 
nothing in nature is completely auDihilated, by any change 
that can take place, either mechanical or chemical in its con- 
stitution, it appears that if every crop grown on the farm be 
consumed on it, its condition of iertiUty can, by no means, 
be deteriorated. On the contrary, every load of straw, hay, 
or of any other vegetable matter which ha»'l grown on the 
farm, and sold in the market, or otherwise di.sposed of, will 
lessen its productive power by just the amount thus sold or 
removed ; consequently as much of the produce* of the farm 
as may be consistent with the circumstances of the farmer, 
ought to be consumed on the land, or returned to it in the 
shape of manure. Hence the practice of feeding sheep and 
other descriptions of stock on the farm, is resorted to by the 
best farmers in order to improve and renovate it. The ani- 
mals fattened on the farm, if sold, will diminish its fertility 
by the amount of what they weigh ; but if consumed on the 
premises, the land can sustain no injury. 

Having glanced over numerous topics connected with that 
branch of the industrial resources of Wisconsin, which I con- 
sider must form the principal occupation of the people for a 
long time to come, I shall further suggest such improvements 
in the general management of the farm as appear to me to be 
best calculated to advance the general interest of the State. 



134 INBVSinU ,L RESOURCES 

In a new country, such as Wisconsin, it is well known 
that the wild grasses pecu Jiar to it, are far from containing 
the same quantity of nou rishing juices as tame or artificial 
grasses ; nor does it prod uce the same quantity in the wild 
state ; therefore, every I armer should take especial care to 
lay down his fields witJ i such artificial grasses as he may 
know from experience w ould hest succeed. I find that clover 
and timothy grow weE in every part of the State ; conse- 
quently the cultivationi of these two grasses should not be neg- 
lected. Where indrist rial intelligence has advanced agricul- 
ture to a high degr<ie of perfection, as in England, Belgium, 
and other Euroj jeai i countries, the natural grasses are 
replaced by the moj -e nutritious articles — turnips, parsnips, 
carrots, &-c. — c ^n wh ich cattle are fed in comfortable sheds, 
instead of bein g allov /ed to roam about, wasting their food in 
muscular efl^o rta incc nsistent with their ultimate use. This, 
however, ca ,nnot be successfully carried out with advantage 
in our pres ent condi' cion. One thing, however, ought to be 
done : cat ,tle ought to be fed and confined at night, during the 
inclemen' ^ season of winter and spring, in suitable sheds, in- 
stead of jroing about in quest of food a:iid shelter, as I have 
seen tl jem in the sev erest weather. Cows, as well as horses, 
requi\-e to be fed wel'A, and kept warm and clean during the 
nigh .t, in cold weatln ir, otherwise they cannot thrive. 

iii^armers would be well paid by rearing more stock than 
tliey do at presei itv Every year will give increased facilities 
of bringing cattle to market. The construction of the Rail 
Hoad from Bostr m intc> Maine has induced the farmers in the 
central parts of t ,hat Sta t.e to send to Cambridge, Mass. , in 1850, 
no less than 14,000 cattle, which sold for good prices. We 
shall soon have similar facihties in our State, and the farmers 
having an abui idance of cheap food for cattle, will no doubt 



OF WISCONSIN. 135 

take advantage of them. A good milch cow will sell for $20; 
good beef cattle for |30, and a yoke of oxen for ^$75. Dairy 
cows, properly taken care of, would yield, each, on an aver- 
age, 150 lbs. of butter in a year, which would readily sell, in 
summer, for 16 cents a pound, and in winter for 25 cents ; 
making, in the year, ^30.75, which is a handsome profit, con- 
sidering the little trouble or expense in feeding a cow, and 
manufacturing the butter. Besides the sum realized by the 
sale of the butter, the calf would fetch ^5, and the sour milk 
would be valuable for feeding hogs and calves. By moderate 
care, a cow would produce 210 lbs., but, wishing to give no 
exaggerated statement, 1 make the amount as low as 150 lbs., 
which is under the average produce. Cheese might be made 
with good profit ; a cow would produce of this article from 
150 to 200 lbs., which would fetch 8 cents per pound, which, 
by the cheese alone, would make ^16 a year. 

Col. T. Bridgeman, in his report to the Commissioner of 
Patents, says that 100 lbs. of corn will produce from 10 to 12 
lbs. of beef, and an acre will, on an average, produce 60 
bushels of corn, (2800 lbs.,) therefore, 336 lbs. of beef may 
be produced from an acre, which, at 6 cents, would amount 
to ^20.16. Hay pays well in most parts of the State. An 
acre produces, at the price it has sold for in the market, from 
$15 to $16, and, in some places, more. Hogs are a source 
of great profit in^nost parts of the Western States, especially 
in Ohio and Kentucky. Wisconsin is beginning to see the 
advantage of attending more to this branch of farming indus- 
try. By keeping sows to breed, young hogs cost but little. 
Oats and corn are grown at a small expense, and both are 
first rate food to fatten hogs. Corn, however, is generally the 
food employed for this purpose. Mr. J. E. Dodge, of Grant 
County, writing to one of the Commissioners of Patents, says? 



136 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

" I selected two pigs, the heaviest was fed with corn meal 
mixed with cold water, the other with shelled corn. with plenty 
of pure water to drink. We have then the true gain in pork 
weight produced, which was G^^ lbs. for every 56 lbs. of meal, 
and 5 lbs. for every 56 lbs. of corn. This appears to be veiy 
small indeed from such a large expenditure of food, yet even 
at that rate an acre would yield a good profit, by feeding hogs 
on its produce. Pork sells at present for about $4.50 per hun- 
dred. 

Horses bring a good price in this State. A pretty good 
horse brings $100 or $120. One or two brood mares would 
soon increase the farmer's stock. Mr. George Boyer, of 
Pennsylvania, a good authority on such matters, says that 30 
years' experience in the business has proved '• that there is 
no difference in the expense of rearing a colt and steer till 
three years old. At the age named, a colt will sell for $75 
or $80, and a steer for less than one-third of that." Sheep 
may be reared almost to any amount in Wisconsin, which I 
consider well adapted to that department of husbandry. In 
an able article on sheep husbandry and wool-growing in the 
United States, by Henry Randale, of the State of New York, 
it is clearly proved that the United States possesses half the 
cheap fertile land included in the wool-zone throughout the 
world, " nearly her entire territory lies within it. Experience 
proves that sheep are healthy in every portion of the United 
States. The terrible droughts and predisposition to certain 
diseases encountered by the Australian flock — the compara- 
tive insecurity of property in Buenos Ayres — the climatic 
vicissitudes of Southern Russia — are none of them known in 
our most favored wool region. Land is cheaper here and 
more fertile, and much nearer the great wool markets of the 
world than Austra,ha." With all these advantages in our fa- 



OF Vr XSCONSIN. 137 

vor, we ouoht to compete 'successfully with South America 
and Southern Russia in ext( 'rnal markets — to undersell Aus- 
tralia in these markets, and to keep them, at all events, out 
of our own markets. In ori Jer to show the demand for home 
consumption, and also to prove that we can scarcely ever 
supply it, I subjoin the fo] lowing tables, which will exhibit 
the manufactured and raw material imported for a few years : 

Value of Woolens it nported from 1821 to 1845. 
1821,87,437,737 1831.. $12,627,229 1841, $11,001,939 

9,992,424 1842, 8,375,725 
13,262,509 1843, 2,475,154 
11,879,328 1844, 9,475,762 
17,834,424 1845, 10,666,176 
21,680,008 
8,500,292 
11,512,920 
18,575,945 
9,971,184 
Value of Wool imported from 1837 to 1847. 

Not exceed ing 7 cents pt-r lb. Exceeding 7 cents per lb. 

Average imports of 183 7, 

1838 and 1839, $558,458 

Average imports of 1840, 

1841 and 1842, 759,646 

Imports of 1843, 190,352 

Imports of 1844, 764,441 

Imports of 1845, 1,553,789 

Imports of 1846, 1,167,305 

The table of imports here exhibited shows how far our 
manufacturers fail short of supplying our home demand in the 
United States. At present (1851) many of the small manu- 
facturers are stopping for the want of wool. " In as favored 



1822, 


12,185,904 


1832.. 


1823, 


8,268,038 


1833;,, 


1824, 


8,386,597 


1834,. 


1825, 


11,392,264 


1835, 


1826, 


8,421,974 


1833,. 


1827, 


8,742,701 


1837, 


1828, 


8,679,505 


1838, 


1829, 


6,881,489 


18U9, 


1830, 


5,776,396 


1840, 



8801,087 


$1,359,545 


,,004,312 


1,763,958 


54,695 


245,047 


97,019 


851,640 


136,005 


1,689,784 



138 INDUSTIAL RESOURCES 

a wool-growing country as the sun shines on, and where, on 
the home consumption is a discriminating duty of 30 per cent. 
ad valorem, we suffer not only foreign cloths and wool to 
come into the market, hut we actually suffer our manufac- 
tories to languish for raw material." The ' following state- 
ment by Samuel Lawrence, Esq., the leading manufacturer 
of the United States, proves the necessity of increased atten- 
tion to the rearing of sheep, so as to meet the demand of home 
consumption : " The manufacturer of woolen goods is now 
so far advanced in this country, that it will go forward as 
rapidly as the production of wool will allow." To show how 
we are circumstanced as to raw material : Allowing that 
each of the population consumes 4 lbs. of wool in a year, 
which is a low average, the consumption of Wisconsin would 
require a supply of 1,222,264 pounds, and, should our popula- 
tion increase as rapidly as it has within a few years back, it 
is not too much to expect that in ten years our consumption 
will amount to 3,222,332 pounds. When a farmer can do 
his own work, wool-growing is not, perhaps, the most profit- 
able ; but when he is obliged to hire help, it pays well, as 
one man can attend to a large flook. 

Turnips are not grown in this State, except on a very lim- 
ited scale for the table. Carrots, parsnips and beets are 
grown only for the same purpose. Sugar beet has been 
grown in some of the States to some profit, and I have seen 
beets, grown in this State, of enormous size. When they are 
used in feeding hogs, they are considered better than grain, 
and the cost one-third. When consumed by cattle, the roots 
are to be washed and sliced. Poultry leave considerable profit. 
A hen will leave a profit of $3 or ^4 a year. Eggs bring a 
large price, in winter, in all western towns. They are pre- 
served during the hot weather, and sold, when in demand, for 



OF WISCONSIN. 139 

20 or 24 cents a dozen. There are a thousand different ways 
in which a farmer may provide for his table, and make a little 
money besides, provided he and his family are industrious. 
In addition to barndoor fowl, he may feed turkeys, and rear 
plenty of geese and ducks, which scarcely cost anything for 
feeding. Besides the tiesh of geese and ducks, their feathers 
fetch a good price. 

For some years back, the potatoe has not been cultivated in 
Wisconsin to any extent, owing, I suppose, to the attack of 
that destructive disease which threatens to banish it frem the 
field altogether. The elements of nature seem to wage war 
against this tubor in every part ot the world where it has been 
cultivated. Numerous theories have been proposed in this 
country and in Europe to check the progress of this disease 
and prevent a recurrence of it, but all to no purpose. The 
malady still continues to batfle the skill of the most experi- 
enced scientific men of the age. The cause that has pro- 
duced this blight, and the remedy to cure it are yet unknown. 
The crop was bad, both in quantity and quality, in every part 
of the Union I travelled, for some years, but the growth of 
the present year (1852) is very tolerable. The quantity of 
land occupied by this crop in this country is rather limited. 
Its failure in America is not of such serious consequence as 
in parts of Europe ; as Indian corn supplies its place in al- 
most every respect, being the chief food of " every animal, 
from man down to the maurauding rat, while its dried blade 
furnishes us with 7-10 of the long food for our working ani- 
mals." The Indian corn crop is considered the " king of all 
crops" in almost every State of the Union. Its value, as an 
article of human food, is considerably reduced in crossing the 
ocean. It deteriorates in its passage so much that in Ireland, 
during the famine, the inmates of the poor-houses used it 



140 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

with reluctance. I invariably witnessed the poor of that 
country, though in a state of starvation at the time, to express 
their disUke to Indian corn in any shape. 

Cranberries are not only used in almost every family, but 
are also an article of commerce, being exported in large 
quantities to California, England, and other countries. $50,- 

000 worth were sent, in 1852, from Massachusetts alone to 
the land of gold. Giir swamps and marshes would yield a 
very large return, by planting them with this article of luxury. 

1 have seen it stated that a single acre, under proper manage- 
ment, will yield a profit of $500. If this be so, attention 
should be directed to the cultivation of this crop, especially 
in marshy and boggy lands unsuited to other purposes. From 
the experiments of eastern farmers, cranberries may be raised 
on almost any soil, but best on low meadow, which is found 
to be improved by drainage. They may be propagated by 
roots or seeds. The cHmate of Wisconsin is well adapted to 
the growth and perfection of this favorite fruit. 

Numerous crops of great practical value, when considered 
in every available point of view, exercise little exhausting 
action upon the soil, which is a property in economic agricul- 
ture of no inconsiderable importance ; as a saving in the ex- 
hausting action of a crop forms one of the chief elements of 
profit, when we consider that the great object of rotation of 
crops, and other scientiiic appliances is to raise from the soil 
the greatest quantity of produce at the least expense, and with 
the least injury to the soil. I have stated in some one of the 
preceding pages, that after the first stage of the growth of 
plants,, the assimilation of their carbon is carried on by the 
decomposition of the atmosphere, by which the mere woody 
portion of the stem is almost exclusively formed from air 
and water, as the ligneous fibre is composed of carbon united 



OF WISCONSIN. 141 

to oxygen and hydrogen, just in the proportion which farms 
water. A knowledge of this fact leads to very important re- 
sults in agricultural industry. All the varieties of starch and 
sugar are composed of similar elements, carbon and water ; 
that is carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. When these bodies 
are pure, they contain no nitrogen. The plants that contain 
starch and sugar require nitrogen and mineral elements, 
therefore they exhaust the soil. Now, if we extract from 
beet its sugar, and from a potato its starch, and return the 
remainder to the soil, it is evident that we restore all the 
parts of the plant that were exhausting, from which it appears 
that the land can produce a succession of crops of sugar and 
starch without any sensible diminution of fertility. I have 
thus shown the elementary constitution of beets and potatoes, 
without, however, representing them numerically, in order 
to direct attention to these articles of farming produce for 
manufacturing purposes. 

In France and other parts of the Continent of Europe are 
manufactured large quantities of sugar, from the red and 
yellow beetjt he sugar obtained amounts to 7 or 10 per cent 
of the weight. We have so much sugar maple in this state, 
from which the article is obtained, barely at the expense of 
the labor bestowed on it, that to extract sugar from beet 
would not, perhaps, pay for the expense of raising the crop 
and manufacturing it. We are however differently circumstan- 
ced as regards the manufacture of starch from potatoes, which 
are known to produce more of that article from a given area 
than any starch-bearing crop. We import into this state 
avast quantity of this article from New York, which might be 
suppHed at home at near half the cost. An intelligent German, 
Mr. Hayer, has commenced this business within a short dis- 
tance of town, and I hope he will receive encouragement. 



142 INDUS-i^RIAL RESOUECES 

He manufactures from wheat flour. On the Continent of Eu- 
rope, the starch produced from the potatoe is consumed in 
making jellies, sago, tapioca, in thickening paper, in making 
confectionary, and in a variety of uses; the most remarkable 
being its preparation for sugar and spirits. The preparation 
of sugar from the potatoe is a branch of industry in almost 
universal practice, especially in Hamburg, from which place 
London receives immense quantities colored with burnt sugar, 
which makes it pass as French brandy. The sugar maple tree 
flourishes in almost all the parts of north America, its height is 
of ten 100 feet,and its chief excellence consists in yielding sap for 
the manufacture of sugar, which is conducted during spring 
months. An orchard of maple trees is almost as good as a 
field of sugar cane of the same extent. This tree lives to the 
age of 200 years, and makes excellent fuel; in 1850, thirty 
four millions of pounds of sugar were manufactured in the 
United States. Of the twenty-seven states in which maple 
sugar is manufactured, Maine produced 1,392,427 lbs. Vermont 
6,159,6411bs. NewYork 10,310,740 lbs. Pennsylvania 2,2 18,- 
641 lbs. Virginia 1,223,908 lbs. Ohio 4,528,548 lbs. Michigan 
2,428,9971bs. Indiana 2,921,6381bs. in addition to this the 
Indians east of the Mississippi river make annually 10,000,000 
lbs., and those west 2,000,000 lbs., besides this quantity of su- 
gar, the sugar maple yielded in ] 850, forty millions of gallons 
of molasses. 

I have had the means of ascertaining the quantity of sugar 
manufactured in Wisconsin that year which was 661,2691bs. 

I have seen very httle manglewurtzel grown in this statej 
peas and beans are grown in Hmitted quantities for home 
consumption; rye is receiving more attention of late than it 
formerly did, buck wheat is cultivated in small patches and is 
very generally used in the winter season, it is made into thin 



OF WISCONSIN. 143 

pancakes and used hot, with butter or molasses, if allowed tD 
cool, it loses all its attractive qualities; I consider it as good 
when well cooked as the best pancake made in the old coun- 
try; wild rice grows in parts of this state. 

Mr. Bonsan, w riting from the falls of St. Croix, says, " the 
Indians gather large quantities of it, their method of doing 
which is, they pass through amongst it with their canoes 
before it gets quite ripe and collect the heads together in ha- 
ndfuUs and give them a twist so that they will stay together; 
this prevents them falling down into the water. When quite 
ripe, they again pass along in their canoes and bend these 
clusters of heads over into them, and with a small stick beat 
out the grain. 

In this manner two of tliem will collect three or four bush- 
els in a day. Their method of using it is either to parch it 
over a slow fire, and then mix it with a little sugar, and in 
that manner eat it ; or to boil it and mix it with a little grease, 
if they have any, or if not, to eat it without anything to make 
it relish. White men frequently lived on it in that manner 
for several days, and found it very nourishing. We use it a 
great deal at table and find it much more nutritious than 
Southern rice. The Indians frequently sow it when they 
find a place fit for it, if it is not already growing spontane- 
ously." In the north-west parts of the State, there are nu- 
merous lakes whose margins would be favorable to the growth 
of this species of rice. 

Onions are a very profitable crop in this State, which 
seems to be well suited to their growth and perfection. I 
have seen onions of immense size grown in many parts of the 
State, and as they are in good demand, more attention should 
be paid to their cultivation. Cabbages and all its tribes pay 
well in all large towns throughout the State. It is not, how- 



144 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

ever, a vegetable much used at table, except among the Ger- 
mans, who consume large quantities of it in a fermented state^ 
called sour krouf. Melons, squash, tomatoes, &c., 
grow well in the open fields. Rhubarb thrives well here also. 

Flax is a crop to which I am desirous to direct particular 
attention, on the variety of uses to which it may be applied, 
the profit it brings to the farmer and manufacturer, and the 
extensive field it opens up for industrial labor. It may be 
cultivated on lands of moderate fertility, but the produce will 
be more abundant on soils distinguished for richness of quali- 
ty, openness of texture, and absence of noxious weeds. It 
has been always considered a very exhausting crop, for 
which reason the soil requires to be highly manured. 

In Belgium, where flax is grown extensively, the ground is 
effectually manured by copius applications in the Hquid form. 
The presence of lime, in a caustic state, is unfavorable to the 
plant ; therefore, land recently hmed, should never be selected 
for its growth. Light clay loams are considered as well 
adapted to the flax plant. The great difficulty that presents 
itself in the cultivation of flax upon a large scale is the labor 
of steeping and dressing it fit for the market ; but I hope this 
difficulty will be obviated by the application of a recent 
discovery which is gaining ground every day. Having 
stated before that the flax plant is very exhausting to 
the soil, it may be well to have it understood that, by proper 
management, it exercises no exhausting action whatever on 
the soil, as all the crop that is of any money value to the farmer 
mer is derived from elements of the atmosphere, and the sub- 
stances derived from the soil and manure are only employed 
by the plant in organizing those materials which are abso- 
lutely valueless, and therefore generally thrown away. 

The steep-water and chaff of the scutched flax contain 



or WISCONSIN. 145 

all the materials taken from the soil and manure ; therefore, 
when after they arc decomposed and returned to the soil, its 
fertility is restored. A knowledge of this fact has given rise 
to an economical system very generally practised by indus- 
trious farmers, of securing all the steep-water, and spread- 
it on the surface of the land from which the crop had been 
extracted, instead of allowing it to run to waste, and poi- 
son our rivers and infect the air. From a due sense of the 
importance of this agricultural branch of industry, the flax 
improvement society of Ireland have devoted, of late years, 
more than ordinary attention to the subject of growing and 
preparing flax on such improved principles, as to realize to 
the farmers who might embark in that department of hus- 
bandry a maximum profit, and the result of increased ex- 
ertion, on the part of that useful and benevolent society, 
fully proves what can be done under more favorable cir- 
cumstances in our State, which is, in every respect, well 
adapted to the growth of that fibrous article. Previous to 
the year 1846 the labors of that society were confined to the 
north of Ireland, a part of the country long celebrated for 
its superior linen fabrics. But anxious to extend the sphere 
of its usefulness to the southern and western prorinces. 
then (1847,) suffering under a visitation, which has no par- 
allel in any age or nation of the world, the improvement 
society obtained a grant of £2000 from the government, and 
at present twenty-two counties are in connection with it. 
Under the fostering care of that society, the quantity of land 
under flax cultivation has increased from 23,866 acres in 
1848, to 91,000 in 1850, and to 138,619 in 1851. The fear- 
ful condition of the country and the beneficial results of the 
previous grants, induced the government to assist the society 
with a sum of £1000 for three successive years, by which 



146 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

it was enabled to send out practical instructors through the 
country to superintend the planting, pulling, steeping, and 
dressing of flax, which, from the ignorance of the farmers in 
the management of that crop, was indispensable. 

The steeping of flax on the old system, requiring several 
days, and sometimes weeks, the improvement society enlisted 
the services of Mr. Schenck, of New York, who proposed to 
accomplish this process in 60 hours, by means of water kept at 
a high temperature, and the manner in which he discharged 
his duty gained the unqualified approbation of those who en- 
gaged him. To carry out his plan, Mr. Schenck recom- 
mended retteries to be erected at various points for the con- 
venience of the flax-growing districts, and now that gentle- 
man's plan is in full operation in many parts of the kingdom. 
In 1851, 36,388 tons of fibre were produced from 138,619 
acres of land, which at £45 per ton, would amount to £1,- 
637,460, to which may be added the value of the seed savedj 
amounting to £60,000, all making a total value of £ 1,700, 
000, realized in one year, from the produce of 138,619 acres, 
being £12,5 per acre, or about 61 dollars. Should any of the 
numerous plans, now under trial, to convert the raw material, 
or rather the flax straw into a fabric fit for the spindle, on 
some more expeditious principle than is practiced at present, 
the cultivation of flax would be considerably extended, and 
the profits proportionably increased in Ireland. M'Claussm 
proposes to convert flax fibre into a material resembling cot- 
ton, and capable of being spun on cotton, flax, woolen, or 
silk machinery ; but having no better authority to recommend 
the plan than the confident reports put forward by the pubho 
press, I can only say that if he accomplishes what he pro- 
poses, a new field will be opened for the apphcation of in- 
dustrial labor, which will extend employment and yield re- 



OP WISCONSIN. 



147 



munerative profits to such as may embark in that particular 
branch of husbandry. 

There is one practice of long standing which ought to be 
abandoned in Ireland as well as elsewhere. Year after year 
the annual reports of the flax society have contained earnest 
recommendations, that the seed of the flax crop, instead of 
being rotted with the stems in the pools, should be taken off 
by rippUng, to be employed for sewing, sold to the oil mills, 
or used by farmers as food for live stock. These, after re- 
peated recommendations have had the desired effect, at least 
to a certain degree ; as about 8,000 bushels of rippled seed 
have been purchased at the Belfast oil mill, from a few dis- 
tricts in the neighborhood of that town. A general neglect 
of this practice in Ireland during the last year, with the above 
exception, has led to an actual loss on the quantity planted 
of £300,000, which, in a country like that, may be considered 
a deplorable neglect. The large quantities of linen fabrics 
from Ireland, imported into the United States must force 
upon us the necessity of growing flax sufficient for home use, 
at least. With a soil fit for the cultivation of flax, and free 
from yearly rents and taxes, except what are necessary for the 
exigencies of the State, w^e ought not only to be able to keep 
Irish fabrics out of the market, but to undersell them in their 
own, as well as in all the English and Scotch markets. Want 
of cheap labor, and knowledge to convert flax to its ultimate 
uses, will prevent successful competition for many years to 
come. 

Besides the profit yielded to the farmer from a flax crop, 
there is no branch of human occupation that gives employment 
to a greater number of individuals, and few departments of in- 
dusti-y leave more profit, in all the channels through which it 



148 INDXJSTRIAI. RESOURCES 

passes. It is estimated, that to manufacture 100 stones of 
flax requires 168 females for twelve months, in spinning; 18 
weavers for twelve months, in weaving ; and 40 women for 
needle-work, besides the number employed in pulling, steep- 
ing, scutching, bleaching, &c. A gentleman who had great 
experience in the business of flax-growing in Holland and Ire- 
land, has commenced the growing of that article in Wauke- 
sha County, on a large scale, and his practical knowledge of 
that crop, in all its stages, will yield him a good income, if 
his capital and other resources are adequate. Mr. Galbraith 
will not only benefit himself, by realizing large profits, but will 
be the means of spreading a knowledge of the proper manage- 
ment of flax throughout the State, which cannot fail of prov- 
ing highly useful. 

The next subject to which I would wish to call attention, is 
the cultivation of hemp, which is almost perfectly analogous 
to flax. It is by no means of such importance, as its use is 
Hmited to very few purposes. Having stated a few facts rela- 
ting to the money value of flax, as an agricultural crop, and to 
the vast amount of labor it affords, from the time the seed is 
committed to the ground till the fibre is actually made into 
garments, I shall next give the analysis of the different parts 
of the plant to bear me out in the assertion that by economi- 
zing the residual parts, which are generally converted to no 
useful purpose, the soil suffers no injury. A difficulty presents 
itself to the enlargement of operations in both the flax and 
hemp crops, which cannot be well obviated by individuals ; 
but under the advice and patronage of an Agricultural Society, 
every difficulty may be removed, and the business of flax and 
hemp-growing rendered one of the most productive operations 
the farmer could embark in. In order to understand the gen- 
eral bearing of the argument, that by proper management the 



OF WISCONSIN. 149 

flax crop is not an exhausting one, I subjoin a table expressing 

numerically the composition of the ligneous fibre which is 

composed of the same elements as starch and sugar : 

Carbon, 50.00 

Hydrogen, ' 6.55 

Oxygen, 44.45 



100.00 

Hence this fibre, which is the part spun, comes entirely 
from the atmosphere. 

Flax plant. 

Carbon, 38:72 

Hydrogen, 7.33 

Nitrogen, 0.66 

Oxygen, 48.39 

Ashes, 6.00 











100.00 




Composition of the ash of the stem of the flax plant. 


Potash, 


18.41 


7.697 


22.859 


22.30 


9.78 


Soda, 


10.91 


19.186 




14.12 


9.82 


Chloride of sodium, 


6.65 


8.213 


8.701 


4.59 


2.41 


Lime, 


18.37 


15.279 


16.483 


18.34 


12.33 


Magnesia, 


3.02 


5.446 


3.332 


3.93 


7.79 


Oxide of iron, 


2.36 


4.301 


1.523 


1.10 


0.00 


Alumina, 


1.44 


0.444 


0.438 


0.72 


6.08 


Oxide of magnesia. 


trace 


trace 


trace 


trace 


trace 


Sulphuric acid, 


9.68 


6.280 


6.714 


6.83 


2.69 


Phosphoric acid. 


11.06 


11.206 


11.802 


8.81 


10.84 


Carbonic acid, 


13.75 


20.599 


25.235 


16.38 


16.75 


Silica, 


5.33 


3.056 


3.409 


2.08 


21.35 



Tobacco and hops are grown in this State in small quanti- 



150 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

ties. Both would pay^ especially hops. It is said that for 
some years the tobacco crop is falling off in the States cele- 
brated for its growth, occasioned, it is supposed, by the ex- 
haustion of the soil devoted to that crop. It is much to be 
regretted that so much land as is devoted to this article should 
be wasted on a weed which is not only useless, but absolutely 
injurious. 

The following facts are interesting, as indicating the rapid 
progress this State has made during the few years that have 
passed since the first white man took possession of it. There 
are at present 1,011,308 acres of land improved in Wisconsin, 
with farming implements and machinery worth ^1,701,047 ; 
live stock worth $4,594,717 ; 4,292,208 bushels of wheat ; 
1,983,378 bushels of Indian corn; 768 pounds of tobacco; 
243,065 lbs. of wool in 1850, and 353,000 lbs. in 1861. 
There were manufactured in the year 1850, 68 gallons of 
wine, 888,816 lbs. of butter; 440,961 lbs. of cheese ; 295,- 
926 tons of hay ; 661,969 lbs. of maple sugar; 100 tons of 
hemp were water rotted, and 834 bushels of flax seed saved. 
Our home-made manufacture amounted to $57,506. The im- 
portance of flax made into a material resembling cotton, is at 
once seen from the immense consumption of the latter in dif- 
ferent parts of the world. In Wisconsin, where the wheat 
crop is so uncertain, the cultivation of a fabric of such general 
use is the more important. In 1851, Great Britain consumed 
648 millions of pounds ; Russia, Germany, Holland and Bel- 
gium, 118 millions; France (including adjacent countries,) 
149 millions ; Spain and the Meditterranean towns, 46 mil- 
lions ; the countries bordering on the Adriatic, 45 millions ; 
United States of North Ameriea, 158 millions ; sundry other 
places, 11 millions; making in all 1175 millions of pounds. 

It may be of some value to persons coming to the west to 



or WISCONSIN. 161 

know that plenty of wild hay can be obtained in many parts 
of the State, to supi Dort their stock till they make artificial 
meadows. To the \ )eaver they are indebted for many of the 
meadows thus prcpj ired for them, several being the result of 
dams thrown up by these thoughtful and provident animals. 
These dams are visi ble in many parts of the State. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Having endeavorei 1 to establish the condition under which 
We found in this Stat e two elements (fire and water) essential 
to the prosecution of a most important branch of Manufactu- 
rino- Industry, I shall . now proceed to prove that we stand in 
a position, as regards t his branch of business, unequalled by 
any State of the Um« ^n. Hitherto we have confined our 
operations to the raisinj T of minerals, in which this State is 
rich beyond comparison, and, possessing charcoal and water 
power almost without lii i^it, the manufacture of these ores, 
with which the State abc >unds, must become a source of in- 
dustrial wealth, calculates ^ to raise Wisconsin to eminence 
among the States of the U. nion. In 1839, the lead region of 
Wisconsin produced 30 riii Hions of pounds of lead, though 
worked under the disadvsMi ige of insufficient capital and in- 
adequate machinery ; all^ K\ Jrope having produced that year 
no more than 131,700,0(M! ^ rounds, of which Great Britain 
alone furnished about three-fc ^urths. 

The country surveyed by Di "• Owen, the well known Geol- 
ogist, embraced an extent of ; n,000 miles, which he repre- 



152 INDUSTRIAL EESOUECES 

sents, on the whole, to be one of the richest mineral regions' 
yet known in the world, and capable of producing annually 
150 millions of pounds, and giving employment to 10,000 mi- 
ners. Besides this inexhaustible treasun ^ in lead, there are 
supplies of copper, iron and zinc ores. J* >ome idea of the pu- 
rity of the copper ore of Wisconsin may be formed from the 
fact mentioned by Dr. Owen that it yields from one-fifteenth 
to one-third more than the celebrated ni ine of Cornwall, in 
England. Independently of the mineral wealth of Wiscon- 
sin, Dr. Owen says that he knov/s of no country in the world 
with similar mineral resources, which c?ai lay claim to a soil 
as fertile and as well adapted to the essenti al purposes of Agri- 
culture." The situation and extent of thie country containing 
mineral treasures hes nearly in equal por tions on both sides of 
the Mississippi, between latitude 41 and 43 degrees, commen- 
cing at the moutli of Rock River, and ei :tending thence north, 
upwards of 100 miles, to the Wiscons in River. The Lead 
region lies chiefly in Wisconsin, includi ng about 62 townships? 
or 2232 square miles. 

In the outline of the Geology of thif ; State, I mean to dwell 
a little on the formation of the mil leral districts. In this 
place, it is only necessary to mentioi i that the mineral bear- 
ing rock is what is termed by Eng'' iish Geologists scar Hme- 
stone, and by Dr. Owen cliff lim estone. From the large 
quantity of magnesia it contains, J , would term it magnesian 
limestone, which, perhaps, would i -ender the name more gen- 
eral, the other two names being 1 local ; scar hmestone signi- 
fying steep, rocky ; and cliff hai -ing been adopted from the 
external character of the district. , which imparts to the scenery 
a bold and romantic character. But as this contains from 30 
to 40 per cent, of magnesia, it . is to all intents and purposes 
magnesian hmestone. 



OF WISCONSIN. 



163 



It may not be out of place to mention here that from this rock 
may be manufactured any required quantity of of epsom salts, 
(sulphate of magnesia,) by the addition of sulphuric acid, which 
last might be manufactured at a cheap rate in Wisconsin. It 
is a coincidence worthy of remark, as having a direct bearing 
on the exploration of mines, that the scar limestone of England 
(Phillips), and the cliff limestone of Wisconsin, (Owen), con- 
tain more lead than all the other sills put together. When the 
cliff Hmestone is fractured it presents a lirrht greyish yellow 
color, passing occasionally into a brownish, or reddish yellow, 
especially when exposed to the weather. When viewed 
through the microscope, it appears to be made up of minute, 
rhomboidal crystals, disseminated over its surface ; but when 
seen with the naked eye, it appears sandy and granular. The 
fresh fracture exhibits a glistening lustre, and a sub-crystal- 
ine aspect. It is asserted by an experienced miner, regarding 
the metalHferous veins of Cornwall, that it is a rare circum- 
stance, when a vein, which has been productive in one species 
of rock, continues rich long after it has entered into another, 
and this change is even remarked when the same rock be- 
comes harder or softer, more slaty or more compact. The 
northern boundan,' of the Wisconsin lead region is nearly co- 
incident with the southern boundary line of the blue lime- 
stone, where it fairly emerges to the surface. When this 
lino is reached, no ore of importance has been discovered, 
which proves the correctness of the above assertion. "Hence 
it was very unlikely that the Wisconsin lead ore, so rich in the 
cliff limestone, should retain the same rich character in the 
blue limestone, even had the structure of this last been equally 
adapted to the bearing of lead." 

The lead region of Wisconsin is almost exclusively confined 

to the south-west part of the cliff limestone formation. The 

4r 



164 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

upper beds, lying in the southern portion of the district, do not 
furnish productive veins of ore. The crevices in the upper 
beds are less numerous, and either empty or filled with iron 
ore, or calcareous spar. The magnesian limestone that un- 
derlies the blue limestone and sandstone strata, and comes 
to the surface in the extreme northeastern portion of the dis- 
trict is similar to the cliff limestone in structure and composi- 
tion, including its disposition to form vertical fissures, which 
might induce the expectation that it would be rich in lead ore. 
From all the reports that have been made of this lead-bearing 
region, all the valuable deposites that have been discovered 
were found imbedded in the recent deposites that overhe the 
chfTrock, or in the rents and fissures of that rock. These 
fissures vary from the thickness of a wafer to 30 or 60 feet, 
and many of them extend to an unknown depth. It is a curi- 
ous fact that the fissures of productive lead ore run east and 
west, or a little south of east and north of west. The rich 
veins seldom quarter. A regular vein half an inch thich, im- 
bedded in a rock requiring to be blasted, will pay well, and 
where the cievice is filled with clay or loose rock, a vein of a 
quarter of an inch thick will pay for working it. In the neigh- 
borhood of Minerel Point and Dodgeville, veins running north 
and south are found to be productive in lead ore, which shows 
that the force which produced these fissures is not restricted 
to any particular point. The downward inchnation of these 
crevices does not seem to be uniform. The entire crevice is 
not generally filled by the ore, which is commonly surrounded 
by clay or sand. 

Chrystahne carbonate of lime may be considered the vein- 
stone or gaugue of these lead mines. Lead is found in fissures 
from the size of apea to a cube of one thousand pounds weight. 
The clay in which the oar is found imbedded is sometimes of 

# 



Of" WISCONSIN. 155 

a jet black color, owing to the presence of manganese. It is 
often found in feruginou s clay, and in a fine sandy looking 
powder, formed from th e decomposition of the rock. The 
lead ore is sometimes foimd in a solid sheet, compressed be- 
tween the sills of the ere vices, and in this position it is called 
sheet mineral ; when found in detached masses, it is called 
chuck ore. It is rather curious, that though the ore is never 
found attached to the sid e walls of the crevices, it neverthe- 
less is imbedded in the rock which caps it, and sometimes it 
reaches the surface thnjugh a contracted funnel. When a 
rock crumbles under decaying influenees, the ore is then 
found in detached massc;s among the clay or rubbish along 
the depressed surfare, which, in general, can be traced. 

Mineral veins generolly occur in the vicinity of trap dykes 
and other volcanic roa'^s. I am not aware of any part of the 
world showing surface indications of mineral deposites so pal- 
pably as the mineral region of Wisconsin. In Dr. Owens' 
able report, he says, "When the outlines of a hill present 
a sort of bench, or step, or slight undulation, even if but 
small, and not readily remarked, yet as indicating a sHght 
slip from an internal rent, it becomes a symptom of lead, 
which the experienced miner's eye instantly detects." For 
the same reason, a small ravine along the side of a hill may 
be considered a reasonable indication of a mineral vein. I 
have stated that the mineral veins run east and west, north 
and south ; therefore sink-holes running in these directions 
are indications ?of concealed treasure. Calcareous spar found 
on the surface is a good indication ; but if found in large 
quantities, it is an unfavorable one. In Wisconsin, as well 
as in many other parts of the world, there may be rich mines 
without any surface indications whatever. Where the sur- 
face shows no ravines, high bluffs, or artificial cuttings, it is 



166 INDUSTEIAL RESOUSXES 

in general difficult to tell what is burie< d under the soil. This 
difficulty is not experienced in Alpine ; regions, where every 
streamlet groves out a deep ravine, es posing to view all the 
treasures of countless ages, which, w ithout the abrading ac- 
tion of the streamlet, would probably remain hidden under the 
surface till time was no more. Th(i most trustworthy indi- 
cation observable in the Wisconsin U ad region is the appear- 
ance of mineral gravel in connection with the crumbling ap- 
pearance of the adjacent magnesian Hn lestone, to which may be 
added minute dark specks spread over the surface of the rock, 
forming dehcate figures, resembhng ferns. When the surface 
presents an arid aspect, it indicatevS the feruginous clay in 
which lead is often found embedded. 

These mines are not worked with the same economy as 
those of the old country, where the ope ration requires steam 
power, at an enormous expense, to be employed day and night 
to unwater them. Here, the moment thi? mine becomes in- 
undated, which is often the case, at a amall depth, it is at 
once abandoned. 

With the exception of a few localities, the ore worked is 
sulphuret of lead, called galena, from which almost all the 
lead of commerce is derived. One of the localities in which 
carbonate of lead is worked is near the Blue Mounds. In 
some places the sulphuret of lead is intermixed with the sul- 
phuret of zinc, called black jack, and occasionally with oxide 
of iron and carbonate of zink. Dr. Owen, in his able report, 
gives the following statistics of the lead region, which I take 
leave to transcribe : " In proportion as I proceeded with the 
geological survey of the Wisconsin lead region, I became 
more and more strongly impressed with its great value and 
rich promise of commercial importance. This conviction 
urged me to the task of carefully collecting and collating such 



or WISCONSIN. 157 

facts as might supply materials for a comparison between the 
geological character of this region and that of the richest lead 
districts in Europe, the Cross Fell country of the north of 
England." That comparison has been briefly made, and as far 
as it goes, it is, in a pecuniary and commercial view, highly sat- 
isfactory. " The strong similarity between tho two forma- 
tions furnishes an encouraging item in the estimates of the 
value of the mineral tract now under examination. But other 
and more direct proof of that value yet remains. The statis- 
tics of this American lead region, so lately settled, so insuffi- 
ciently worked for lack of force, even in those localities where 
a cursory survey had chanced upon rich lead veins — these 
statistics, uncertain though they be, of a country so new and 
rude, impel us to the conclusion that the Wisconsin lead re- 
gion may compare, if not in present productiveness, at least 
in future prospects, with any in the known world. 

For a time my opinion was very unsettled as to the actual 
amount of lead now annually produced in the district. The 
merchants of Galena, when the question was put to them, 
calculated the total in Wisconsin and Illinois, (when the nine- 
tenths, of the lead is made,) at from ten to twelve millions of 
pounds ; but I soon became convinced, even from a particukr 
inquiry as to the amount actually produced at a very few fur- 
naces, that this was far below the truth. I found, for in- 
stance, from actual returns, that the lead turned out from the 
furnaces at three diggings, (to-wit : the Platteville, Snake 
and Dubuque,) already exceeded ten millions of pounds. An 
estimate of the number of miners, collected from the best 
sources, multiplied by the probable amount of lead raised by 
each, also showed that the estimate made at Galena nuist fall 
very short of the actual amount produced in this region. 
Since my return I have received several letters in reply to en- 



158 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

quiries addressed to the most intelligent smelters throughout 
the district. These, and the personal enquiries I made in the 
course of the expedition, enabled me to, furnish, with consid- 
erable confidence, the following statement of the amount pro- 
duced from thirty-four furnaces, not quite three-fourths of the 
whole number which are at present at work in the district : 

In Iowa, from four furnaces, 3,000,000 lbs. ; in Wisconsin, 
from 28 furnace ;, 18,764,400 lbs. ; in lUinois, from two furna- 
ces, 2,000,000 lbs. Total from thirty-four furnaces, 24,764,400 
lbs. 

In addition to the above, I have ascertained that there are 
at least twelve othei* smelters (probably more) whose furnaces 
are either in full operation or doing an occasional business. 
From these I have no authentic returns, though I have taken 
some pains, by letter and otherwise, to procure them. Al- 
though many of them are doing a heavy business, yet they 
cannot perhaps safely be averaged as high as those from 
whom, we have actual returns, namely at 725,000 lbs. each. 
It might be safe, and is probably below the truth to average 
them at half a milKon pounds each, making for the twelve 
6,000,000 lbs. This, added to the amount of the foregoing 
table, gives us the total produce in the year 1839 from the 
lead mines of Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Illinois, upwards 
of 30,000,000 of pounds. This result was unexpected by me, 
yet it cannot, I think, be far from the truth. The smelters, 
so far as I could judge, had no interest in deceiving me, and 
appeared frank and candid in their statements. 

Again — the number of miners in the district is variously 
estimated at from two to four thousand, not employed, how- 
ever, on an average, probably more than half the time. The 
medium between the two estimates, say three thousand, may 
be near the truth. As to the average amount which each 



OF WISCONSIN. 159 

man can raise per day, it is difficult to estimate it with accu- 
racy. One of the most experienced miners and smelters in 
the district writes to me, '• two men can raise something 
near five hundred pounds from veins of average richness. 
Two men have raised as much as twenty hundred pounds a 
day, from the richest veins. At McKnight's diggings, near 
IVIineral Point, three men (miners from Cornwall, England,) 
were seen by one of our party at work on a vein of three 
inches thick in the soHd rock. This did not seem to be con- 
sidered much more than an average vein, and they were then 
raising on the average of 1,500 lbs. per day ; that is 600 lbs. 
each." 

I may notice a few additional facts which came to my 
knowledge, regarding the yield of the Wisconsin mines. 
Some of them are unparalleled in the history of mining. From 
a spot of ground not more than fifty yards square, upwards of 
3,000,000 lbs. of ore have been raised. A drift in Major 
Gray's diggings, near Mineral Point, in a crevice twelve feet 
wide, was filled in with clay and ore. When I was there, 
nine yards only of the contents of this crevice had been exca- 
vated, and out of that amount of excavation, 34,000 lbs. of ore 
had been obtained. At the new diggings near the source of 
the west branch of the Pecatonica, tw^o men can readily 
raise 2000 lbs. of ore in a day, and these diggings are not 
more than twelve feet deep. At Hamilton diggings from two 
and a half to three milKons of pounds of ore were raised from 
a few acre lots, working to the water, which was to an aver- 
age depth of twenty feet. At Shaw and Gennett's diggings 
1,500 lbs. have been raised by two men in a day. 

Upon the whole, I cannot resist the conclusion that the 
foregoing estimate of the amount of lead now produced in that 
favored region, is as likely to be below as above the truth. 



160 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

If then we suppose the amount of lead obtained at 30,000,000 

lbs., we are furnished with the data of comparison between 

the produce of this region and that of mining countries in 

Europe. The amount of lead produced in the Island of Great 

Britain in the year 1828 was, according to a statement made 

by Mr. Taylor, in his records of mining, as follows : 

North of England mines, 56,070,000 lbs. 

Derbyshire and Shropshire, 10,080,000 " 

Devonshire and Cornwall, 4,200,000 " 

Flintshire and Denbighshire. 25,200,000 " 

Scotland, 2,100,000 " 

Ireland, Isles of Man, &c., 1,050,000 « 



Total, 98,700,000 « 

The rest of Europe produced 33,000,000 lbs. 
If these data be accurate, it follows that the Wisconsin lead 
mines already produce nearly as much lead as all Europe, 
with the exception of England ; and that they produce one- 
third nearly as much as England, the great miner of the civil- 
ized world. If such be its actual produce, it is difficult to set 
bounds to its capabilities. A thousand obstacles have hith- 
erto opposed its progress. The temptations offered by the 
high wages given inlUinois on the pubhc works of that State; 
these and many other causes have deranged the regular work- 
ing of even proved mines, and greatly retarded the discovery 
of others. 

But again — this expedition has furnished data regarding 
the depth and durability of the mines, more trustworthy than 
the mere opinion of any individual, however intelligent and 
experienced. In the southern and western portion of the dis- 
trict, the lead-bearing rock, by Dr. Lock's observations, has 
attained to a thickness of upwards of three hundred feet, grad- 



OF WISCONSIN. 161 

ually becoming thinner as it approaches the northern hmits 
of the district. Now, even in that portion where it is thin- 
nest, the mines are not yet in any instance exhausted. It 
may be safely inferred in the south and west the supply is for 
many years, if not for ages to come, inexhaustible. 

Upon the whole, a review of the resources and capabiHties 
of this lead region, taken in connexion with its statistics, (in 
so far as it was possible to collect these,) induces me to say 
with confidence that ten thousand miners could find profitable 
employment within its confines. If we suppose each of these 
to raise daily 150 lbs. of ore during six months only of each 
year, they would produce annually 150,000,000 lbs. of lead — 
more than is now furnished by the entire mines of Europe, 
those of Great Britain included. This estimate, founded (as 
those who have perused the foregoing pages will hardly deny,) 
upon reasonable data, presents in a striking point of view the 
intrinsic value and commercial importance of the country 
upon which I am reporting ; emphatically the lead region of 
Northern America. It is, as far as my reading and experi- 
ence extend, decidedly the richest in the known world." 

Dr. Owen's report shows other facts connected with this 
mineral region, which are of importance — namely, that " the 
copper ore of Wisconsin, in the lead mine region, forms an 
item in its mineral wealth which would be considered of great 
importance, and would attract much attention, but for the su- 
perior richness and value of the lead." Dr. Owen says, " this 
occupies the same geological position as the lead ore," — " it is 
not a superficial or vagrant deposit, but extends in veins of uni- 
form bearing, and that these veins are continuous, and in all 
probability extensive," — that it is found in several locah- 
ties in sufficient abundance to repay well the labor of the mi- 
ner — that it compares favorably with the Cornwall (England) 



162 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

copper mines — that a selected specimen of the best working 
Cornwall ore yielded but 21 6-10 per cent., while three aver- 
age specimens of Wisconsin ore yielded from 23 to 36 7-10 
per cent, of copper — that there had then (1839) been raised 
at the Mineral Point mines upwards of a million and a half 
pounds of copper — that the indications of copper in Wis- 
consin afford strong presumptive evidence that capital and 
skill alone are required to render copper mining in this dis- 
trict an advantageous and profitable adventure — and as an 
additional fact, whereby to estimate the value of the Wis- 
consin copper ore, that in some of the European copper mines 
the ore does not contain three per cent., while, as above sta- 
ted, average specimens of Wisconsin ore yielded from 23 to 
35 per cent.," pieces are found weighing from a few ounces 
to five hundred pounds. 

There are found, in the vicinity of the same veins, productive 
veins of zinc, which usually occurs in the lead fissures. Dr. 
Owen says " that it frequently happens that the lead fissure 
gl*adually diminishes, and eventually is entirely replaced by 
this zinc ore." I have seen thousands of tons lying in various 
localities on the surface, which the miners seemed to know 
nothing about. An analysis of this ore proves it to be a true 
carbonate of zinc, containing 45 per cent of the pure metal. 
Sulphuret of zinc, sometimes called blende, and by the 
English miners black Jack, is also abundant in the Wisconsin 
mines. It contains from 55 to 65 per cent of zinc, but is more 
difficult of reduction than the carbonate. We Import a large 
quantity of brass materials, copper and zinc, from Europe^ 
though the latter is seen thrown about on the surface of the 
lead region in every direction, and the former is abundant in 
the state. When we possess these ores in sufficient quanti* 
ties for home consumption, it would be our advantage to 



OF WISCOITSIR. 18S 

manufacture for our own use instead of sending abroad for a 
supply. 

The iron ore of this district is of excellent quality, and 
unlimited abundance, but the richness of the iron veins cannot 
be well ascertained till mines shall be actually opened, which 
has not yet been done. But more encouraging or more 
numerous surface indications of an abundant supply of this 
useful mineral, can hardly present themselves to the notice of 
the geologist. In a country more thickly settled, and with 
skill and capital to spare, these would cause and justify the 
employment of whole villages of workmen. How httle, here 
in the west, at least, we have improved our natural resources, 
is proved by the immense quantities of ores, unsurpassad in 
richness, which lie unsought in Wisconsin. The committee 
appointed lately to report on this mineral region, states " the 
same report contains many interesting facts in relation to the 
connection with the mineral substances, such as coal, building 
stones, mill stones, chalcedony, agate, jasper, cornelion, por- 
celain, clay, silver, arsenic, antimony, plumbago, manganese, 
iron pyrites; also in relation to soils, and their value and 
productiveness. But the committee have already filled this 
paper with such copious extracts in relation to the great 
staple production of the mines, and indeed, as they will show, 
of the state — extracts, however, well worthy to be brought to 
the notice, and demanding the careful consideration of the 
legislator, more interesting by far than anything the committee 
could say. And in consideration of the disinterested attitude 
of the geologist, and his world-wide reputation, forcing 
conviction of the truth of these representations more unequiv- 
ocally than it was possible to do, by the most voluminous 
representation the committee could make. They are reluc- 
tantly compelled to close the book, and content themselve* 
7 



164 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

by releiring to the report itself tor more particular imtbrmatioii 
in relation to the the interesting subject of which it treats ; 
feeling that no apology is necessary for the space occupied by 
the extracts already made. The facts, opinions, theories, and 
conclusions embodied in Dr. Owen's report, demanding 
credence and respect, as they unquestionably do, creating 
an intense anxiety in the minds of the scientific enquirer into 
the hidden mysteries of nature, as they cannot fail to do, only 
purport to present the result of a very hurried and imperfect 
and very general outline reconnoisance oi the south-western 
portion of the state. They lead, however, to the unavoidable 
conclusion, that if such, and so slight an examination has 
developed such wonderful results, that although a more 
minute examination would present still more astonishing 
results, and what is now demanded by the duty the state gov- 
ernment owes to the people of the whole state, is to give them 
such important information as it is in their power to give, and 
especially by the duty it owes to the people of the mining 
region, containing nearly one-sixth of the population of the 
state, to .take t,l)e necessary steps to have such an examination 
made." It appears from the report of actual shipments, dur- 
ing eleven years, that Dr. Owen's estimate (30,000,000 lbs.) 
is below the truth, the average yearly produce of Wisconsin 
alone amounting to 41,727,023 lbs., as may be «een from the 
following tables : 

. Years No of Pounds Value 

.. 1841 29,749,909 $1,189,996 , ^ 

1842 29,424,329 1,176,973 

1843 36,878,797 1,475,151 

1844 41,636,293 1,641,451 

1845 51,144,822 2,045,792 
•.vl.lft^;.n. 48,007,938 1,920,317 ^ 





OF WISCONSIN. 




1847 


50,999,303 


2,039,972 


1848 


49,783,737 


1,991,349 


1849 


45,935,839 


1,839,433 


1850 


41,485,900 


1,659,436 


1851 


34,500,384 


1,380,015 



165 



Average for 1 1 years 41,727,023 $1,660,030 

It is estimated that at least nine-tenths of the lead shipped 
at Galena, is raised in Wisconsin, leaving Illinois and Iowa 
only the remaining one-tenth; and this is more than compen- 
sated for by the amount of Wisconsin lead shipped from Potosi, 
Milwaukee, and Chicago, of which no estimate is made. 

Some curious facts, relating to the statistics of the lead 
region in the south-west portion of our State, may be gathered 
from the report of a committee, appointed some two years 
ago, to inquire into the actual state of the mining interests of 
that particular portion of Wisconsin. The first astonishing 
fact, established by that committee, is, that in the mining 
counties, containing a population of only 45,229, at the time, 
and with a taxable property of about four millions of dollars, 
the lead product of the year 1851 was $1,380,015, and that 
of the average for 11 years has been $1,669,080, while the 
total exports (lead excepted) from the ports of Kenosha, 
Racine, Milwaukee, Port Washington, and Sheboygan, during 
the last year (1851) was only $2,039,547, though the counties 
in which these ports are situated, and those connected with 
them, commercially, contain a population of 227,996, and have 
a taxable property of nearly $20,000,000. From these facts 
it may be inferred that the average produce of lead, for the 
eleven years above exhibited, would give to every man, woman, 
and child, in the mining counties, the sum of $36,90, and yield 
a return of 42 cents on the dollar, on all the taxable property. 



166 INDUSTRIAL EESOUECES 

On the other hand, the exports from the lake counties, and' 
those commercially connected with them, give to every indi- 
vidual of the population, only the small sum of $8,94, and; 
yield only lO)^ cents to the dollar on the assessed value of the? 
taxable property in those counties. From this, it appears that 
if tested by the criterion of population, the exports of th^e 
mining counties, during the above eleven years, exceed those 
of the agricultural counties in the proportion of about four to 
one ; and if tested by the criterion of the assessed valv.ation of 
taxable property, they exceed them in the proportion of more 
than three to one. 

Though these proportions are deducible froni the above 
tables, yet it does not follow that the absolute advantages of 
the miner over the agriculturist, are as great as these ratios 
would lead one to suppose. The agriculturist consumes a 
large portion of his produce in and about his homestead ; he 
sells a portion to the storekeeper, to the minev, to the lumber- 
man, and to others not engaged, like himself, in tilling the 
ground ; and the balance is shipped at the sea port, for sale at 
a distance. But all the lead raised by the miner is shipped. — 
Hence it follows that the apparent odds against the farmer, as 
compared with the miner, are not so great, by which their 
chances of success approaches to the ratio of equality. It must, 
however, be acknowledged that no mining region in the known 
world combines a surface of such fertility, and in every way 
suited to farming purposes, with a sub-stratum of such mineral 
wealth, as the lead-bearing district, reported on by the com- 
mittee appointed for that purpose. 

The following table, exhibiting the lead products and pop- 
ulation of three former years, is still more favorable to the 
miner as giving each individual a greater return than that de- 
duced from the above table : 



OF WISCONSIN. 167 

Year. Popuhitiou. Value of lead exp. Am'ttoeach purson. 

1845, 12,273 §1,176,073 $95,90 

1846, 30,605 1,920,317 62,74 

1847, 33,414 2,039,972 60,15 

The history of mining affords no parallel to the results here 
oxhibited. In 1845, each individual of the population could 
count nearly J$96, which, if multiplied by the population of 
1850, would give the aggregate value of lead exported, ^29,- 
000,000. At present, and for some years past, there appears 
to be a great want of hands to work the mines, owing to the 
prevalence of the California gold fever, which seduced num- 
bers from our mines, which always yield them good wages. 
For many years the operations of mining were confined al- 
most exclusively to raising the surface mineral, as that por- 
tion of the great land deposite which was not under water, 
and which could be raised without removing the water — the 
removing of which required the employment of no other ma- 
chinery than the pick and shovel of the miner, and his rude 
windlass. There were, it is true, some few experiments 
made in removing the water with pumps worked by horse 
power, and, in two instances, by steam. These experiments 
proved the fallacy of the opinion entertained by some, that 
mineral did not exist in the water, and demonstrated that the 
mineral not only existed below the water line, but that it 
gradually increased in quality, in proportion to the depth to'' 
which it is followed; and there is no doubt from all the infor- 
mation which experience and observation furnish, that the 
mineral will be found to exist to the depth that the lead-bear- 
ing rock extends, which is more than two hundred feet be- 
low the bed of the largest stream. 

A great portion of the mining district is traversed by deep 
ravines, from which tunnels might be run to the different lo- 



1(58 n«)tTSTRIAL RESOTTRCES 

calitics containing the ore. Through these tunnels, the wa- 
ter, which 80 much impedes the operations of mining, might 
be removed to the depth, in some places, of one hundred and 
fifty feet. Into these tunnels might be pumped water from a 
still lower depth, by which the miner would be enabled to 
carry on his operations to a pretty considerable depth, at a 
comparatively small expenditure of power or capital. It is 
very much to be regretted that the lead mines of Wisconsin 
are not worked with sufficient capital and skill. It is very 
probable that the want of capital is the chief cause of the 
rapid decline in mining operations in this State. When I 
travelled through these mining districts last fall, (1852,) they.; 
appeared to be deserted, except where an occasional solitary; 
person was employed digging up the surface, in search of, 
mineral, his only implement being a spade. Wherever aj. 
shaft had been sunk, the operations of mining and pumping j 
were conducted on very primitive principles indeed — all for 
want of skill and capital, both of which might be invested in 
these mines, with a much surer prospect of a profitable re- 
turn, than is held out in any other lead region in the world. 

It appears to me that the principal lead basins of Wiscon-.| 
sin have been scarcely touched, the miners having confined 
their operations to the edges of the great deposites, and to the 
decomposed surface. As to geological science, it is never,, 
called into requisition. This is also the opinion of Mr. Phil- 
lips, a practical miner well acquainted with these districts. 
It is to be hoped that a more regular and scientific system 
will in future be adopted, under the guidance of the State 
Geologist recently appointed, to explore the mineral treasures 
of the State. 

A company has been recently formed, whose labors are to 
be confined to La Fayette County, where new mines have 



OP WISCONSIN. 169 

been recently discovered. These mines give great promise 
of a very rich supply of mineral. Almost every day new 
mines are discovered, but when the top mineral is picked out, 
all is abandoned. Two new leads have been recently dis- 
covered at Potosi, near Platteville, in Grant County. Lead 
ore exists in Portage County, on the west side of the Wis- 
consin River, about two miles from its bank. This mine is 
supposed to be of tolerable extent, and the quality of the 
mineral good. This mine has not yet been worked. Lead 
ore exists in Sauk County, in several localities along the 
Baraboo Valley. I have seen specimens from the town of 
Garrison, which contained some lead. 

The average price of lead has been steadily increasing, year 
after year, yet it is to be regretted that the mineral produce 
is gradually diminishing. In 1847, the price of lead was 
63,60 per 100 lbs., and in 1852 it was $4,10 on the levee at 
Galena. 

Zinc, being in general demand for numerous purposes, 
might be profitably raised in Wisconsin. Where slate is not 
used for covering buildings, large quantities of sheet zinc 
would doubtless command a ready market, not only in this 
and the adjoining States, but in the Atlantic States also. It 
lies on the surface at the Wisconsin mines, where it is con- 
sidered a nuisance, while the common brass imported from 
England contains upwards of thirteen per cent, of that metal. 
The large quantities of copper and zinc imported into the 
States, from England, proves how little we improve all the 
natural wealth v»'hich is treasured up in our State like a sealed 
book. Every day England pours into tjbie eastern cities thous- 
ands of tons of iron for rail road purposes, while in Wiscon- 
sin it may be found of the very best quality, and in quantity 
inexhaustible. Immeasurable quantities of iron fragments 



170 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

may be found scattered over the surface in many of the town- 
ships, especially in the Missouri hmestone on the Wisconsin 
River, and so rich as to he perfectly chrystalized. I have 
seen iron on the surface over a large district, some of it being 
hematite of such purity as to yield, so far as I could judge 
without making any analysis, from 40 to 60 per cent, of the 
metal. Why, then, in the name of common sense, do we im- 
port from England, while mountains of this ore are lying use- 
less in many parts of our State, with fuel, water power, and 
limestone for flux at hand. 

There are parts of the district, however, though abounding 
with iron, which are not favorable to the smelting of that 
metal, on account of the scarcity of fuel, which is an item 
in this branch of industry not to be left out of the account. 
Iron ore of unlimited extent and of great purity may be found 
at Lake Superior, in the Baraboo district, and at the Iron 
Ridge in Dodge and Washington counties. This mountain, 
extending several miles in length, would be sufficient to sup- 
ply ore in any required quantity, both for home consump- 
tion and exportation. A company has been recently organ- 
ized to manufacture this ore into rails, and for domestic uten- 
sils, which cannot fail to realize a good profit on their capital, 
and confer on the State a lasting benefit. Private individ- 
uals* are also making preparations to manufacture iron in 
this district on a large scale for various purposes. An iron 
foundry has been commenced at Horicon, where the pros- 
pects are favorable. 

Few persons are aware of the enormous sums of money 
sent out of our State for articles of iron. According to the 
increase of our population, during the last ten years, it is not 



•The compaii}' lately organized, called the North-Western Iron Co., — is com- 
ppsed of the following persoBS : J. L. Bean, Pres , Jonas Tower, James Ludington. 



or wiscoNSiK. 171 

too much to estimate our present population at 570,000. And 
allowing five persons to every dwelling, we have at present 
114,000 houses in the State. If we suppose that each house 
has two stoves, and that each stove, with pipe and other fixings, 
average .$15, the money sent out of the State for that single 
article would amount to $3,360,000. Add to this the sum 
sent out of the State to purchase nails, pots, pans, iron 
ploughs, tools of every description, rod and bar iron, and nu- 
merous other articles indispensable in their use to almost 
every house-holder, and the aggregate sum would far exceed 
anything which most persons could form an idea of. The 
length of rail road now in course of construction, and of others 
in contemplation, cannot fall far short of 1700 millions, which 
would require an outlay, in the article of iron alone, of r$12,- 
012,200, which sum, in addition to the above, must be sent 
out of the State, in the event of our not converting our own 
resources to their legitimate uses. Very few bestow a thought 
on the enormous national amount required to purchase ar- 
ticles of indispensable use in every family. Every house 
has, or ought to have, the following articles : an axe, a ham- 
mer, and a spade ; and estimating the number of houses at 
114,000, the sum required to purchase these would amount to 
$256,500. 

I have dwelt at some length on the money value of articles 
in general use in our State, from a conviction that all might 
be manufactured here with greater economy than any where 
else I know of, on account of the abundance and excellence 
of our ore, and the quantity of charcoal within our reach, 
with the facilities which will soon be aiRbrded by our roads 
and navigable rivers of procuring coal from distant places. 
The various pecuhar properties of iron adapt it, in an unparal- 
leled degree, to thousands of industrial purposes for which no 



172 INDUSTEIAL EESOUKCES 

Other metal is available. What art in any civilized nation on 
earth can be brought to any degree of perfection without the 
use of iron ] Deprive the most prosperous and enlightened 
country on the face of the globe of the use of iron, and that 
country must soon sink into semi-barbarism. Take away the 
plough and harrow, the spade and shovel, the crow-bar 
and pick-axe from the farmer, and he will be obliged to seek 
for a hving on the running stream, and among the v/ilds of 
the forest ; to be followed by every one requiring food for his 
support. Take away from the tailor his needle, from the 
shoemaker his awl, from the carpenter his tools, from the 
mason his trowel and hammer, and I ask, to what state so- 
ciety would be reduced. Take from the sailor his anchor, 
and he is sure to be ship-wrecked. So it would appear that 
whether we require delicacy of form, or massive strength ; 
elasticity or rigidity ; softness or hardness of material, iron 
is that material which satisfies all our wants, and fulfills every 
required condition. It is only where iron can be obtained in 
abundance, and on reasonable terms, that agriculture can be 
pursued with advantage ; all the trades requiring tools, prac- 
ticed with success : and civilization advanced amongst a 
people. Indeed, I recognize in iron one of the chief agents 
of comfort, convenience, civiUzation and happiness. With- 
out it. no nation can emerge from a state of semi-barbarism, 
and the most enlightened must necessarily degenerate. 

These various peculiar properties of iron, fitting it so won- 
derfully for so many uses in all the concerns of life, give it a 
money value which I deem it necessary to notice, as it will 
be found to affect the circumstances of this State, as regards 
the manufacture of iron, which, so far as the ore itself is con- 
cerned, costs little ; but which, under the guidance of me- 
chauical skill and labor, amounts to sums that but those only 



or Wf^c6S*f!if. 1*75' 

in the business could imagine, or have any idea of. I could 
not, perhaps, select an example which shows so strikingly 
the value which skill and labor are capable of giving to iron, 
more to my purpose, than by exhibiting the result given by 
Babbage and Fordenburg of five dollars worth of iron when 
converted into — 

Ordinary machinery. S 20 

Large ornamantal work, 225 

Buckles, bellin work, 3,300 

Neck chains, 6,930 

Shirt buttons, 29,480 

To this example of money value given to iron, I shall add 
another — the quantity of iron used being worth only five dol- 
lars : — 

Horse shoes, $ 12)^ 

Table knives, 180 

Needles, 355 

Pen knife blades, 3,285 

Polished buttons and buckles, 4,485 

Balance springs of watches, 250,000 

The above is the money value given to iron in England by 
skill and labor ; but according to the value of lab"^ in Mil- 
waukee, $5 worth of iron would, when manufactured into 
horse shoes, come to $18,75. If the other branches of man- 
ufacturing industry were carried on in Milwaukee, at propor- 
tionably high prices for labor, $5 worth of iron would fetch 
.$375,000. At this rate, the quantity of iron in the " Iron 
Ridge " alone would be more than sufficient to pay oiFallthe 
national debt of England. I do not aiTive at this conclusion 
from guess work — the result is found by calculation, founded 
on tolerably correct data. This, more than anything I am 
aware of, establishes the honest claim of labor, combined 



174 INDUSTRIAL KESOUECES 

with skill, to respect. The ore in the ground or scattered 
over the surface, is literally worth nothing, but under skill 
and labor, may be converted into the current coin of the 
country of countless amount. The same may be said of the 
agricultural soil, or of any other raw material, which, in gen- 
eral, is worthless, till submitted to skillful labor. Hence, 
skillful labor is the foundation of national wealth. 

Iron is found in many other places, but especially at Lake 
Superior, where its quality is of unparalleled richness. I 
have seen specimens from Lake Superior, which far surpassed 
the richest I have seen in any other part of the world. 

Copper ore of a singular character is found between the 
Mississippi and Kickapoo. It is of a light green color, with 
a waxy lustre and fracture, and very brittle. This ore i8[ 
disseminated through feruginous earthy matter, composed 
chiefly of the brown oxide of iron. It was discovered in 1843, 
on a small tributary which runs west into the Mississippi. 
This small tributary is called Copper Creek, and the place 
where the copper was found is only four miles and a half 
from the Kickapoo. The bed containing this ore is from 12 
to 15 feet wide, and from 5 to 7 feet deep, spreading out as it 
descends |tie slope, to 30 feet wide. This mine lies well for 
drainage, and the ore is of a description easily reduced in the 
furnace, and yields about 20 per cent, of pure copper. The 
person that discovered this mine, (Mr. Sterling,) sent 24,000 
lbs. of the ore to be smelted at Mineral Point, and it yielded 
23 per cent, of good copper. Copper ore is also said to have 
been discovered on the Baraboo, but its geological .position 
has not been ascertained. Carson and Sterling, of Mineral 
Point, discovered copper not far from the Kickapoo mines, 
not dissimilar in character to that found at this place. 

The lower magnesian limestone north of the Wisconsin 



OF WISCOHSIK. 176 

River presents numerous metaliferous indications, more prom- 
ising than the upper, it being a well known geological fact, 
that the lower or older rock (all other things being equal,) is 
more likely to contain metallic minerals than a rock more 
distant from the source. Lead ore has been discovered in a 
cherty bed of the inferior part of the lower ma^nesian lime- 
stone, north of the mouth of the Kickapoo River. On the 
opposite side of the same valley, Hearn and Ward obtained 
masses of galena weighing 15 lbs. Hearn and Miller discov- 
ered some lead ore in the hills at the first great western bend 
of the Kickapoo, a little below the mouth of Plumb Creek. 
Half a mile south of the aforesaid, Burns and Miller procured 
lead ore. Lead ore was discovered in several parts of this 
locality, and vestiges of ancient diggings made by the Indi- 
ans are to be seen to this day. 

Mr. Randall, to whom was assigned the exploration of 
some of the tributaries of the Upper Mississippi, found it im- 
practicable to survey, by means of the needle, some of the 
localities not far from the Falls of Black River, on account 
of the large quantities of iron, with which the soil was im- 
pregnated. 

On the east side of the Chippewa River, and a short dis- 
tance below Allen's Mills, is an extensive deposite of brown 
oxide of iron, which is of a variety easily wrought in the fur- 
nace. Bennet's Portage, twelve miles above Vermillion 
Rapids, presents the most important upheaval to be met with 
on the Chippewa, and from its geological formation, it is more 
than probable that, when explored, it will be found to repay 
abundantly for the time devoted to the search. Trappean and 
conglomerate rocks being considered favorable to the exist- 
ence of metalic minerals, the idea long prevalent through the 
Lake Superior country, that hidden treasure is abundant in 



176 iNDUStRIAL RESOURCES 

that vicinity, has been more than realized by recent discov- 
eries. The upper rapids on the Bois Brule River is composed 
of a rock rather pecuUar in its character. It is chrystalline, 
and has iron disseminated through it, with large quantities of 
labrador felspar. 

Pieces of native copper have been frequently found in the 
vicinity of a trap range upon the St. Croix River. A sample 
of copper ore frr-n the falls of the St. Croix, was found to con- 
tain 5.4 parts of protoxide of copper, 15.5 of oxide of iron, 
manganese, and alumina. Specimens of copper from the 
same vein were found to contain 19.72 per cent, of pure cop- 
per. On Spawn R'vor a vein of copper ore has been discov- 
ered by Mr. C. H. Oakes, of La Pointe, who also found 
some specimens of native copper in the bed of Rush River. 
Specimens of black oxide of copper are found in the trap 
range that crosses near the mouths of Snake and Kettle 
rivers. In the same locality are large bou'lders containing 
native copper. On Left Hand River and its tributaries, cop- 
per ore has been found in largo quantities. Ten per cent, 
were extracted from inferior specimens of this ore. 

The mineral district of Lake Superior, which is now re- 
ceiving that attention which its vast importance deserves, hes 
principally in the State of Michigan, but the discover)'- of cop- 
per ore on the Menomonee, the Baraboo, and Kickapoo rivers, 
renders the idea probable that the legion of country between 
Lake Superior and the mineral district south of the Wiscon- 
sin contains hidden treasures, which time and indefatigable 
industry will bring to light. Magnetic iron ore occurs in 
any parts of the State. It is found on the shores of Lake 
Superior and Lake Michigan. It may be seen on the shore 
near Milwaukee, and among the rocks disinterred at Walker's 
Point, in cutting down the hills for grading purposes. I have 



OF WI8C0NSIK. 177 

observed magnetic iron ore at Sheboygan, at the mouth of the 
Bois Brule, and many other places. 

Good roads and capital would render the Lake Superior 
district a most desirable place for persons of active habits. 
Some of the lands are valuable, not only on account of their 
mineral treasures, but for their heavy timber, which every 
year is becoming more valuable. The proximity to the great 
mines, which are now in active operation, and the prime 
quality of some of the land for farming purposes, are circum- 
stances which must render farming in this region highly pro- 
fitable. Want of, good roads is the great drawback ; but 
from the enterpiising spirit of some of the inhabitants, this 
great desideratum will soon be supplied, A rail road twelve 
miles long is to be constructed next season from the Iron 
mines to Carp River, which will facilitate operations consid- 
erably. There are employed on the southern shore of Lake 
Superior 710 miners and copper cutters, 800 surface men 
and mechanics, and 500 other citizens. Potatoes are worth 
^1 per bushel ; turnips 75 cts. per bushel ; hay $25 a ton ; 
oats, in the bundle, $30 a ton. The wages of miners aver- 
age $50 per month ; surface men $26 per month ; good me- 
chanics $45 per month ; team and driver from $4 to $5 per 
day. The short canal which will open a ready communica- 
tion between Lake Superior and the lower lakes, in connec- 
tion with rail road communication with Milwaukee, as re- 
commended by Col. Whittlesey, late of the United States 
Geological Corps, will render the Lake Superior district one 
of great importance. 



178 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



CHAPTER VII. 



Having given the localities of some of the most important 
minerals employed in the arts, it will doubtless be expected 
that in a work like the present, a general representation of 
all the mineral resources of the country shall be given, as 
well as the extent to which these resources are capable of 
being developed. To accomplish this, it will be necessary to 
point out the different species of rocks that compose the sur- 
face of the State ; the manner in which they are arranged, 
and the different facts connected with their composition, as 
regards their adaptation to building, to agi-iculture, and to 
other domestic and industrial purposes. In giving this brief 
outline of the common rocks of the country, and their general 
arrangement, nothing like a geological essay, full in detail, 
is intended ; my object being simply to show how they may 
be made available for the purposes just mentioned. 

Before entering upon a brief geological outline of Wiscon- 
sin, it may be necessary to observe, that one unacquainted 
with the science of geology may suppose that the rocks com- 
posing the crust of our globe are thrown together indiscrimi- 
nately without Arrangement, or order ; but upon a closer ex- 
amination and a wider range of observation, it will appear 
that the order of super-position among all the rocks is regular 
and constant, that is, the various strata or layers overlie each 
other in an unbroken order. In some places, however, a 
stratum or layer may be entirely wanting, and the order of 
Buper-position may be somewhat deranged at the junction of 



OF WISCONSIN. ^^ 

two formations, arising Irom some disturbing force. The 
base, or lowest stratum, is granite, green stone, or some sim- 
ilar chrystaline rock produced, by heat. Above these are de- 
posited the primary rocks, such as gneiss, mica, slate, pri- 
mitive hmestone, &c. Immediately above these are the 
mountain limestone, the bituminous coal fields, the sahne 
rocks, and the chalk, which are denominated secondary rocks. 
Above these rocks are the tertiary series, containing a suc- 
cession of marine and fresh water deposite. And above this 
last series are found the recent surface deposites. These 
several strata, resting on the primitive rocks, have been de- 
posited by water in a horizontal position, or very nearly so. 

This constant order of succession, with a knowledge of the 
fact that certain minerals are almost invariably found only in 
particular formations, gives the geologist an unerring guide 
to look for minerals where alone they can be found. These 
rocks, which must have been originally deposited in a hori- 
zontal position, are often found inchned to that position, at 
various angles, some indeed standing vertically. We can 
easily imagine that the position of these rocks was disturbed 
by a force from beneath, which elevated them at different 
angles. This elevating force from beneath has produced its 
effects about Lake Superior and many other parts of the 
State. It has elevated many mountains, thrown up islands, 
and rent rocks asunder. This disturbing force has rendered 
accessible to us numerous minerals, which otherwise would 
have remained hidden till the end of time. It has likewise 
exposed to view numerous fossils, whose presence is an evi- 
dence of the identity of geological strata. This force, which 
at one time might have proved destructive, was destined to 
produce mineral wealth accessible to milhons in after ages. 

Subterranean heat once fused the gold of Cahfornia and 



180 INDUSTRIAL EESOtJRCES 

forced it to the surface, where it is now picked up by thous- 
ands from every nation, and from every clime. It was sub- 
terranean heat that burst the incumbent rock, and forced the 
fused granite and porphyry to the highest altitude among the 
Alleghanies and the Andes. 

In giving a brief sketch of the geology of Wisconsin, it 
may be well to divide it into districts, beginning with the 
mountain or carboniferous limestone, which extends from 
Lake Michigan west and north-west to the geodiferous, or, 
as Dr. Locke calls it, cliff hmestone, and to the sandstone 
formations. This extensive hmestone district extends from 
Mackinaw along the lake shore till it dips under the rocks of 
the coal formation in the State of Illinois. These two points 
limit its extent in a north and south direction. The very few 
organic remains it contains indicate its affinity to the carbon- 
iferous limestone formation which forms the basis on which 
the coal-bearing rocks rest. As the order of super-position of 
rocks is never inverted, the position of these deposites, which 
is nearly horizontal, holds out no great prospect of supplying 
coal to any great extent. What were supposed to be small 
fragments of coal were found in the vicinity of Lake Winne- 
bago and at Milwaukee, but what I have seen in these places 
was only common shale. 

The hmestone of this eastern, or Lake district, when 
burned, affords very pure lime. Its appearance in the quarry 
would lead one to suppose that it contains a considerable 
quantity of earthy or sandy particles, which however is not 
the case. It occurs near the surface in many localities. I 
have seen it at Waukesha, in the township of Lisbon, up the 
Menomonee River, and other places ; some of it splits with a 
tolerably straight edge and of nearly equal thickness. Though 
this stone is very rough, yet some of it answers well for build- 



OF WISCONSIN. 181 

ing purposes, and for side-walks. In Waukesha, it is full of 
nodules of flint, which give it the appearance of a brechia. 
The quarry at Waukesha contains fossils, not, however, in 
great quantities. The color of this limestone is a hght grey, 
but in some places, it is of a dirty yellow color. The facility 
with which some of this stone crumbles, under atmospheric 
influence, and the difficulty of cleavage render it unfit for 
building. In general, it presents a very uneven surface, and, 
in most cases, is full of cavities. It is easily burnt, and 
makes good lime. Two or three lime-kilns in the vicinity of 
Milwaukee are doing a good business. 

This limestone contains pyrites of iron, in some places, in 
great abundance, and sulphuret of zinc, and gypsum, or plas- 
ter of paris, which is well known to be of great value to the 
farmer. Cavities have been found in this rock along the lake 
shore, containing bitumen, both liquid and solid. In the for- 
mer state it is not found in sufficient quantities to warrant an 
outlay of time to collect it for medicinal purposes. Mr. Lapham 
says, " it appears to result from the animal matter of the putri- 
factions found in the rock." This, however, is doubtful. It 
must have resulted from the decomposition of wood and vege- 
table matter. 

Water lime is found in Jefferson County, which is repre- 
sented as very good, and promises to bring a considerable 
profit to the owner. I have seen water limestone on the 
bank of the Rock River, near Janesville. It is found under 
the sandstone, and over a silicious rock, which I describe in 
another place, as fit for making glass. Iron pyrites are found 
in large quantities in the rock, which might become of some 
importance in the manufacture of oil of vitriol ; iron pyrites 
being a substitute for sulphur. 
8 



182 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Marble has been recently found in Manitowoc County, 
which, it is hoped, will be a source of profitable employment. 
Its color is white, and it takes a good polish ; but the extent 
to which it runs is not known. The quarry is to be worked 
in the course of the present year. I have seen a specimen of 
good white marble from the Lake Superior district. Time 
will disinter quantities of this rock. A block of marble was 
sent from Richland County, to be placed in the Washington 
Monument, which is said to be of good quality. 

A bed of potters' clay, equal in quality to any in the Union, 
and inexhaustible in quantity, has been discovered on the 
banks of Fox River, between Appleton and Neenah. 

Milwaukee produces brick clay of a very superior quality 
and beautiful color, somewhat resembling cream color. There 
are several kilns in full operation in the vicinity of the town, 
Y/hich supply it, as well as other towns, with large quantities 
of brick for building purposes. These bricks are now gener- 
ally used in the better class of houses instead of lumber. 
Besides the durability of brick, as compared with lumber, the 
protection it affords from fires, and its appearance, ought to 
be sufficient to recommend it ; and more especially when its 
price does not considerably exceed that of lumber. A machine 
was employed in one estabhshment, which turned out 30,000 
bricks in 10 hours. This machine presses the brick without 
any previous tempering. The clay is thrown from the bank 
into a sort of hopper, out of which it escapes into the moulds, 
where it is pressed into form, having been previously pulver- 
ized in its passage from the hopper to the moulds. Most of 
the other establishments, if not all, have moulds which turn out 
bricks, beautiful in appearance, and of great durabihty. The 
principal brick kilns are owned by Messrs. Burnham, Kinlan, 
Corcoran, Carney, Messenger, Neiderman, and Shinbone. 



OF WISCONSIN. 183 

The Milwaukee brick is now well known in New York, Chi- 
cago, and other larire towns, where it is used to set off the 
appearance of their fin?t class buildings. 

Bricks are made at Kenosha, Racine, Sheboygan, White- 
water, and numerous other places throughout the State. I 
have seen some bricks made in Washington County, which 
resemble the Milwaukee bricks. 

Seventeen millions of bricks are made in Milwaukee in the 
year, whJch gives employment to a large number of hands, 
and leaves a good profit to those engaged in the manufacture. 
The ordinary' brick is sold for 84,00 per thousand, and a bet- 
ter sort, used in facing, for $12,00. From the superiority of 
the Milwaukee clay, brick-making cannot fail of being ranked 
among the most important branches of manufacturing indus- 
tr\' in the State. It may be manufactured in any quantity 
along the Menomonee River, which can be made navigable 
for boats at a small expense, by which the expense of cartage 
might be saved, A tram road from the kiln to the edge of 
the water would reduce the expense. 

Large boulders of granite, green-stone, and others of igne- 
ous origin, are occasionally met with, lying on the surface. 
Beinggenerally found water-worn, these erratic blocks must 
have travelled some distance, no doubt from some of those 
northern districts containing these primitive rocks. In cutting 
down the bluffs round the city of Milwaukee, for the purpose 
of grading the streets, several of these boulders are exposed 
to vievv', especially at Walker's Point, where likewise may 
be seen a few large blocks of limestone, which show no evi- 
dence of having travelled any distance ; as they all present 
unimpaired angles. All these must have been brought to 
their present position at the same time, as they are found im- 
bedded together in the clay forming the bluffs. During or 



184 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

subsequent to the geological period in which these compara- 
tively recent deposites were formed, extraordinary currents 
from the north must have existed, bearing with them, in their 
impetuous course, those ponderous rocks in thousands, many 
of them, probably, embedded in fields of ice. These north- 
ern waves have produced similar effects in many parts of Eu- 
rope. The limestone districts of our State show evidences 
of this northern current. Large boulders may be seen in the 
town lands of Greenfield, Oak Creek, Milwaukee ; in the 
counties of Sheboygan, Jefferson, and indeed in most of the 
counties comprehended in the carboniferous limestone dis- 
stricts. In some places, however, only very few are seen on 
the surface, and in no place do they interfere with the opera- 
tions of the former, to any injurious degree. The soil and 
subsoil of this district are, in general, clayey and calcareous, 
with a large proportion of vegetable mould, and, in many 
places, mixed with water-worn limestone pebbles, from the 
size of a marble to that of a goose egg, and some much larger. 
The subsoil of numerous locahties, which I have seen, is 
composed of this diluvial deposite. derived altogether from the 
limestone rock. This drifted deposite is of considerable 
depth in some places, and, from its small size, might be used 
with great advantage in making the public roads, and espe- 
cially where it is found of a quality sufficiently hard, and un- 
mixed with the soil. 

The largest drift formation in the world is found in Wis- 
consin; extending from Lake Michigan, near Green Bay, to 
the Mississippi River, and passing east of Fond du Lac, Wa- 
tertown, and Whitewater, continuing its course right through 
Illinois to the Father of Waters. Whether it crosses the 
Mississippi or not, I cannot say. This extraordinary forma- 
tion, so far as 1 examined it, is composed of rounded lime- 



OF WISCONSIN. 185 

Btonea, mixed with calcareous eorth. Its width varies from 
less than a mile to three, and its height from forty or fifty 
feet to two hundred. Its direction is somewhat north and 
south, inclining east of south and west of north. Many parts 
of this great range would appear to be made up of innumera- 
ble hills, with deep hollows between, which inclines me to 
believe that these little hills were transported in fields of ice, 
which, upon being broken, or dissolved, dropped their con- 
tents right beneath the points where such an occiurence hap- 
pened to take place. A continuous current, in the direction 
of this curious ridge, could not, by any physical law, have 
produced a range presenting such a diversified surface, with- 
out the agency of icebergs. 

The northern current has transported large pieces of pure 
copper, probably from the mineral district of Lake Superior, 
to our limestone district. Among these was a remarkable 
specimen, found at Green Bay, over 100 pounds weight. An- 
other piece, weighing 30 pounds, was found by Mr. Trow- 
bridge, on his farm, near Milwaukee. In excavating the 
canal at Milwaukee, pieces were found, at the depth of ten 
feet, which, together, weighed 20 pounds.. One of these 
specimens is deposited in the cabinet of Yale College, at New 
Haven. Small pieces are occasionally found at Racine, 
and other places, and " a mass is said to exist a little 
west of La Vieux Deserte, far exceeding in magnitude the 
celebrated copper rock from the Ontonagon." These isola- 
ted erratics, thus straying from their native beds, cannot be 
regarded as among the sources of wealth of Wisconsin ; they 
however strengthen the evidence in favor of the existence of 
copper and of a northern current, which has left thousands of 
ponderous land marks, not only in several parts of Wiscon- 
sin, but in many other northern States — all proving the ex- 



186 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

istence of a powerful force exerted at a Boinewhat recent ge- 
ological period in a southerly direction. 

Causes at present in operation transport large masses of 
ice, containing fragments of rocks, clay, &.C., from the polar 
regions, toward the south. These boulders have not been 
observed farther south than Ohio. 

Just after having written the last sentence, I read an ac- 
count of a piece of copper found by Mr. Tunis J. Burhyte. of 
Empire, while digging in a cellar. This contains 95 per 
cent, of pure copper, and weighs 120 pounds. A number of 
specimens were found in the same region, on the Ledge, and 
also in Eden and Osceola. A very fine piece was found at 
Waupun a short time since. 

Sulphate of baiytes, sometimes called heavy spar, is found 
in boulders or in fragments of hmestone on the Wisconsin 
River. Calcareous spar, forming rhombs, is foimd in the 
limestone at Neenah, as also at the mines, and at several 
other places. Calcareous tufFa occurs in the canal, near Mil- 
waukee, incrusting moss, leaves, and such other vegetable 
matter as may come in contact with it, under favorable cir- 
cumstances. Tufia must be found in many parts of this State, 
where so much calcarioua matter abounds. 

The shore of Lake Michigan, within the county of Mil- 
waukee, consists of a bank of reddish clay, varying in height 
from 20 to 100 feet, and standing over the lake in a very 
erect position. From the lake, the country continues to rise 
to the dividing ridge between the lake and Rock River, flow- 
ing into the Mississippi. West of this dividing ridge, the 
country maintains nearly a uniform level, inclining a little 
toward Rock River. This summit is considered as the lowest 
point in the dividing ridge between the Mississippi and the 



or WISCONSIN. 187 

two lakes — Michigan and Superior — except at the Portage, 
between the Ncenah or Fox River, and the Wisconsin. 

The face of this great hmestone district is not considerably 
broken up by deep ravines, or diversified by mountains, the 
surface being what is termed rolling. The beds of the rivers 
traversing this district are not considerably depressed below 
the face of the surrounding country. All the east and north- 
east, with a considerable portion of the north-west of the 
limestone district is timber land, and most of the south and 
west prairie and oak openings. 

The next district is the great magnesian or clilf limestone, 
which, though sparingly developed elsewhere, " swells, in the 
Wisconsin lead region, into the most remarkable, most im- 
portant, and most bulky member of the group." This great 
deposite of magnesian limestone attains to the thickness of 
660 feet, whilst the underlying blue limestone shrinks in some 
places into a mere string scarcely 100 feet, and in others it 
seems entirely wanting — (the blue limestone crops out at Fe- 
ver River, above the thriving town of Galena, in the State of 
Illinois.) It is found here in place in limited quantity, and 
the specimens I saw contained numerous fossil remains, simi- 
lar to those found in the mountain limestone of Ireland. It 
contained a small quantity of sihcious sand, and was very 
hard and compact. This is the only specimen of blue lime- 
stone I met so far south. The surrounding locality is rich in 
lead ore, which probably formed the foundation of the pros- 
perity so long enjoyed by the commercial city of Galena, 
which, for its size, is the wealthiest and most prosperous 
place in this or, perhaps, in any other country. The enter- 
prising spirit of its inhabitants deserves far better accommo- 
dations than is afforded by its shallow river, narrow and irre- 
gular levee, and confined streets. The inhabitants have 



188 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

made the most of the small space between the almost insur- 
mountable bluff behind the business part of the town, and the 
little stream which bears such a numerous fleet of flat-bot- 
tomed steamers, as no town I know of, of double the size, 
could require to carr}'^ on its trade. 

The trade of Galena must be transferred to Dubuque as soon 
as the rail road, now in the course of construction, shall have 
reached so far ; and when the works now in progress to im- 
prove the landing at Dubuque, shall have been completed. 
The landing, at present, at Dubuque, is very bad ; but, by en- 
gineering skill, may be made to answer all the purposes which 
its increasing importance may require. This point must be the 
centre of a vast district, and from it must radiate all the com- 
mercial business at present done at Galena. The Janesville 
and Dubuque, as well as the Milwaukee and Mississippi rail 
roads, add considerably to the importance of Dubuque. Its 
mineral resources and its position, must secure to it a very 
extensive trade, when all the works in actual progress and in 
contemplation shall have been completed. The town has a 
respectable, substantial appearance, and contains hotels 
which deserve the high character which they bear. 

The black slab, which is generally found resting on the 
cliff limestone, is wanting. Throughout the entire district 
of country explored by Dr. Owen's party, it is doubtful 
whether the fine-grained sandstone, or oolitic hmestone, or 
the conglomerate, can be detected. From this it appears 
that the magnesian limestone, with the thin substratum of 
blue limestone, and some coarse-grained sand-stone, engros- 
ses the entire mountain limestone group. The coal meas- 
ures occur in the southern boundary, in immediate contact 
with it, instead of being separated, as in other places, by 
three distinct members, occupying many hundred feet. This 



OF WISCONSIN. 189 

•district is very peculiar, in a geological point of view, from 
the enormous developement of this member, and the com- 
plete obliteration of all the other members of the mountain 
limestone group, except the underlying blue limestone and 
sandstone already mentioned. In the north of this district, 
the magnesian limestone runs out, and the underlying blue 
limestone and sandstone come to the surface. In the south 
it runs under the coal measure of Illinois. East, it is cov- 
ered up by recent deposites, and west it is occasionally ex- 
posed in the beds of the streams and rivers, and in projecting 
cliff. This district then belongs to that group, or formation, 
called transition, and sometimes secondary. It is sometimes 
ranked amongst the carboniferous, metahferous, encrinital, 
and mountain limestone group. Local terms, adopted by dif- 
ferent geologists, tend to obscure and retard the science of 
geology. Terms of general import, and not founded on local 
circumstances, ought to be chosen, and their meaning de- 
fined, like the technical terms of the exact sciences. The 
external character of this lead-bearing district no doubt war- 
rants the assumption of the term, cliff, but the term does not 
apply to the same formation in other localities, where the ex- 
ternal character bears no striking^ resemblance to the Wis- 
consin limestone chffs. Dr. Owen, an able geologist and ac- 
complished scholar, gives the following luminous description 
of the external character of what he calls the cliff limestone, 
along the Mississippi : 

"These mural escarpments, exhibiting every variety of 
form, give to the otherwise monotonous character of the 
landscape in Iowa, a varied and picturesque appearance. 
Sometimes tliey may be seen in the distance from out of the 
rolling hills of the prairie, like ruined castles, moss-grown un- 
der the hand of time. Sometimes they present, even when 



190 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

more closely inspected, a curious resemblance to turrets, ani 
bastions, and battlements, and even to the loopholes and em- 
brasures of a regular fortification. Sometimes single blocks 
are seen jutting forth, not unlike dormar windows, rising 
through the turf-clad roof of an old cottage ; and again, at 
times, especially along the descending spurs of the hills, iso- 
lated masses emerge in a thousand different forms, in which 
the imagination readily recognizes the appearance of giants, 
sphynxes, Hons, and innumerable fantastic resemblances." 

The district round Mineral Point, the Blue Mounds, the 
Wisconsin side of the Mississippi, and many other places, 
present similar appearances. 

The manner in which this rock wears under atmospheric 
influences modifies its form. Numerous silicious fossils and 
masses of chert are interspersed through this rock, which, 
when acted on by the weather, fall out, leaving cavities innu- 
merable, and giving the rock a rugged appearance. This 
process sometimes undermines portions of the clift', often 
leaving it bearing on a weakly pillar, which every moment 
threatens to give way, and precipitate the incumbent mass 
down the feartwl steep. Part of this rock is very hard and du- 
rable, and makes some of the best building stone to be had 
anywhere. Quarries are opened at the Sinsinawa Mounds, 
at Mineral Point, at the Four Lakes, and at the Pecatonica. 
The last, however, is not very good. The best building 
stone occurs in the lower portions of the upper beds of the 
cliff limestone. It can be quarried from six to twelve inches 
thick, and presents beautiful straight edges, a smooth face, 
and a light yellow color. This rock may be liad of almost 
any required thickness, and horizontal extent. It is similar 
to the stone of which the two Houses of Parliament, in Eng- 
land, are built. 



Of WISCOKSIN. 191 

Two and a half miles from^Madison, on the road leading 
to the Blue Mounds, is a quarry of white sandstone, sur- 
mounted by limestone, which makes good lime. This dips 
towards the north-west. Some brown sandstone occurs here, 
which comes out of the quarry in large blocks, and is exceed- 
ingly hard. The material from this quarry is employed in 
building the new bank and hotel at Madison. It is a beauti- 
ful, close-grained, milk-white stone of great durabiUty. These 
rare qualities, combined with the architectural taste displayed 
in these buildings, will add considerably to the appearance of 
tiie town. A good hotel will be an additional inducement to 
strangers to visit Madison and its surrounding scenery, and a 
bank, conducted on liberal principles cannot fail to prove a 
great convenience, and advance the general interest of the 
town and surrounding country. In this quarry I observed 
vertical cracks, which have been formed by the shrinking of 
the mass when drying. Such cracks as these may be observed 
in every soil, especially clayey, after having been drained. 

I have seen excellent quarries at Mineral Point and Galena, 
composed of magnesian limestone, resting on sandstone. The 
rock in these quarries cleaves in large blocks, but is coarse 
grained, and the color a dirty yellow. I have seen speci- 
mens of sandstone at Mineral Point, of excellent quality and 
good color, which, I was told, had been quarried in that 
neighborhood. A small marble quarry has been recently dis- 
covered in Grant County, near Potosi. The marble is nearly 
white, and is considered of good quality. Few counties in 
the State can compete with Grant County in mineral wealth, 
and the discoveoy of marble will add considerably to its in- 
dustrial resources. 

Water lime is found in Jefferson County, which is repre- 
sented as ' very good, and promises to bring a considerable 



192 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCEg 

profit to the owner. The quarry at Jaiiesville, containing:: 
water Hme, deserves more than a passing notice. In the 
neighborhood of this rising town, on the opposite side of the 
Rock River, is a quarry which is worked for various purposes. 
The upper five feet of the quarry makes good quick Hme ; 
the next five feet are impure hmestone mixed with sand, and 
are used for building purposes. The next two feet and a half 
are composed of the same description of stone, which is cut to 
any required size, for ornamental and useful purposes, such 
as door-ways, window-sills, &c. The next two feet are sand- 
stone, fit for building, and may be cut to any required size. 
The color is not good, but in other respects, this rock makes 
a good and lasting building material. It rests on twenty-two 
inches of water limestone, which last rests on pure sand fit 
for the manufacture of glass. I had no means of ascertain- 
ing the depth of this last rock. A building has been recently 
erected at this place, intended for a sawing mill to be worked 
by water, which cannot fail to be a source of considerable 
profit to the proprietors, as the lime and sandstone of this 
quarry are distinctly stratified and very easily quarried, and 
moreover it lies high above the bed of the river, which 
washes its base, and waters the town. It is, however, 
in common with the limestone of the surrounding district, 
very coarse-grained. It dips a little to the S. S. W., but is 
perfectly horizontal, when viewed from the river. I have 
seen specimens of stone found in the neighborhood of Janes- 
ville, which is used as Pilasters and supports, supposed by 
the inhabitants to be marble, but has no claim to that name, 
being no better than a coarse limestone, good, however, for 
building purposes, as it easily splits into blocks, limited only 
in thickness ; the other dimensions being sufficiently ample 
for any industrial purpose, where stone is required.* 



OF WISCONSIN. 195 

Maguesian limestone has not yet been found east of White- 
water, where I have observed it exposed by grading opera- 
tions. A good quarry is worked at Waupim, a small village 
on the line between Dodge County and Fond du Lac. The 
stone comes out of this quarry of any required size. Portland, 
in Dodge County, has also a good quarry. 

Three miles from Omro, a superior quality of glass sand 
lias been found. Samples of it have been sent to the Lan- 
caster Glass Factory, Erie, and New York, and it was found 
to be of very superior quality. A company has been formed, 
styled the " Omro Glass Company," which will manufacture 
glass at that place. This being on the Fox River, which will 
soon be navigable to the Mississippi, and Lake Michigan, by 
Green Bay, the article may be easily shipped in any direction 
for sale. Nothing will tend to improve the industrial inter- 
ests of the State more than the erection of such works, under 
the guidance of a company with sufficient capital. 

A white rock, which, by disintegration, forms a white plas- 
tic material used in the manufacture of porcelain, is found in 
the Mineral Point and Blue River lead mines, besides several 
other places. Should it exist in sufficient quantities, it would 
prove a valuable addition to that peculiarly favored region. 
This material is a hydrate of silica, containing a small per 
centage of alumina. It likewise contains veins of so bright 
a green as to give rise to the idea of the existence of copper 
ore, but when tested, it contained none of that metal. 

Upon the side of the river opposite to Prairie du Chien, is 
a stratum of sand stone, identical in character with that 300 
feet higher. The following is a geological section, extending 
from the top of the eastern mound (Blue.) to the Wisconsin 
River at Helena, taken from Dr. Locke's report : 



194 imycrsTRiAL resottrces 

Feet. 

1. Chert, horristone, flint, at top, 410 

2. Magnesian (cliff) limestone. 169 

3. Blue fossiliferous limestone, very thin or wanting, 000 

4. ,Sachar"ne sandstone, 40 

5. Alternations of sandstone and Hmestone, 188 

6. Sandstone, variable and not well defined, 3 

7. Lower limesione. probably magnesian, 190 

1000 
This lowest bed of magnesian limestone, as well as the 
upper, is a bad burning rock. Till the upper rock shall have 
been exhausted, no shaft will extend to the lower ; and from 
the inexhaustible quantity, comparatively, near the surface, 
countless ages may pass away before the miner will be driven 
by necessity to the lower bed. Time, however, can only de- 
termine this. 

The magnesian limestone district has a vast extent of 
prairie and oak openings, with groves here and there, espe- 
cially on the rivers and streams. Blue Mounds — two conical 
hills, the one in Dane, and the other in Iowa County — are 
the most conspicuous objects in the whole landscape of Wis- 
consin. The Indian name of these mounds signifies smokey 
mountains, applied to them on account of their summits being 
sometimes enveloped in clouds, which, in Wisconsin, from 
the absence of high hills, is a rare phenomenon. These 
mounds stand almost one thousand feet above the Wisconsin 
River, at Helena, as has been shown in the last table, and 
are covered with vegetation to the top, from which there is a 
view of the surrounding country, extending far beyond the 
Wisconsin on the north, and embracing a wide circle all 
around." These mounds are twenty-five miles west from 
Madison, and twelve south from the Wisconsin River. 



OF WISCONSIN. 1'96 

The Platte Mounds are somewhat similar to the Blue 
Mounds, which they would feign to rival. They are situated 
near the north-west corner of La Fayette County, and are 
rendered historical from the circumstance of that point hay- 
ing been chosen for a temporary fortification, built during the 
Black Hawk War, in which Lieutenant Force fell by the 
hand of an Indian, near this spot, where the fallen soldier's 
grave may be seen to this day. These mounds, as well as 
the Blue Mounds, are suppo.sed to have resisted the abrading 
influence of the water and atmosphere, on account of the du- 
rability of the rocks of which they are composed, while the 
surface of the surrounding country has been worn down and 
washed away, as being composed of softer and more friable 
material. '•' These mounds rise above the general table of 
the country to the height of from two hundred to four hund- 
red, or even to six hundred feet." Before I had seen these 
mounds, I was inchned to think that they were the result of 
some elevating force. This would be an easier solution than 
to suppose the surface of thousands of miles of the surround- 
ing country to be washed away to the depth of some six hun- 
dred feet. But having closely examined these mounds, and 
the surrounding district, I was constrained at once to aban- 
don the theory of elevating force from beneath. I have known 
some instances in Ireland of conical hills protruding through 
a limestone district, changing the character of the limestone 
in immediate contact with the igneous rock. Carrigoguinal, 
on the river Shannon, near Limerick, is a perfect illustration 
of this upheaving force. This rock stands in the midst of a 
flat limestone district, and is visible at a considerable dis- 
tance, its circumference being, as far as my memory serves 
me, no more than about a quarter of a mile. The limestone 
rock in contact with its base has been completely metamor- 



196 l.TDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

phised by the action of heat. Had the force which shot this 
igneous rock through the limestone been less violent, and ex- 
tended over a wider space, a conical mound might have been 
formed similar to the isolated mounds of Wisconsin. But the 
stratified rock on the top could not have retained their origi- 
nal position, as at the Blue Alounds. Some derangement of 
the hmestone rock would be visible, but volcanic action is 
visible by the derangement of the strata, at Carrigoguinal, 
and the metamorphic effect of heat, is seen all round. At 
the Blue Mounds, the stratification is perfectly horizontal to 
the very top, except at the most elevated and conical one. 
where the rocks seem to dip in different directions, in con- 
formity with the shape of the cone : but on a close examina- 
tion of this mound, these rocks are tilted by the wearing away 
of the snrrounding support, and some of them have tumbled 
over. The other mounds near this, not being so steep, re- 
tain the stratification to the top in a perfectly horizontal po- 
sition, so far as the eye is able to judge. On approaching 
these mounds, I observed, close to the middle one, four or 
five larsre, denuded blocks, which I mistook for small houses, 
and another one, near the eastern cone, standing in a rechning 
position, with a broad head, which I mistook for a tree. 
This, in a comparatively short time, will tumble down the 
precipice. The flinty appearance of the rock on the top of 
these mounds has been caused by the infusion of silicious 
matter into the porus rock by water. The \-iew from the top 
of the mound is so eloquently described by Gen. Wm. R. 
Smith, that I am induced to give it here : 

•• An ocean of prairie surrounds the gazer, whose vision is 
not limited to less than thirt}- or fort}^ miles. This great sea 
of verdure is interspersed with delightftilly varjMng undula- 
tions. Uke the vast waves of the ocean, and every here and 



OF WISCOHSIM. 



191 



there sinking iuto the hollows, or cresting the swells, appear 
spots of wood, large groves, extensive ranges of timber, 
small groups of trees, as if planted by the hand of art., for or- 
namenting this naturally splendid scene. Over this extended 
view, in all directions, are scattered tl le incipient farms of the 
settlers, with their luxuriant crops of wheat and oats, whose 
yellow sheaves, already cut. form a beautiful contrast with 
the waving green of the Indian com, and the smooth dark 
lines of the potato crop. Throughout the prairie, the most 
gorgeous variety of flowers are seen rising above the thickly 
set grass, which, in large and small patches, has here and 
there been mowed for hay ; all presenting a curiously 
chequered appearance of the table b^eneath us. The mineral 
flower, the tali bright purple and re<i leather, the sun-flower, 
the yellow bloom, the golden rod, the: several small and beauti- 
ful flowers, interspersed with the ^jxass, render the scene in- 
describably beautiful. To the nor- Ji, Wisconsin hills are seen 
bounding the view ; to the east, prairie and wood are only lim- 
ited by the horizon ; and the Biue3Iounds, on the north-east, 
torm a back ground and land mark ; to the south, the view over 
the rolling country extends into the State of Illinois ; in the 
south-west, is seen the Sin&ina.wa Mound ; the view to the 
west is only bounded by the Ta.ble 3Iound, and the hills west 
of the Mississippi, and distant about thirty miles : while to 
the north-west, the high hills, through which the Father of 
Waters sweeps his way, closti the \'iew. Below us, on the 
plain, is the httle -village of IJelmont, with its painted dwell- 
ings ; the brown lines in the broad green carpet, indicate the 
roads and tracks over the pr line ; the grazing cattle are scat- 
tered over the wide surface, looking like dogs or sheep in size ; 
while in the distance are seen wagons of emigrants and ox 
teams hauling lead, merchajidize and lumber ; the horseman 



198 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

and foot traveller are passing and repassing ; pleasure and 
travelling carriages are whirling rapidly over the sward, as if 
the country had been improved for a century past, instead of 
having been only five years reclaimed from the savages. 
This picture is not exaggerated. It fails of the original 
beauty, in the attempt to describe the scene, which is worth 
a journey of a thousand miles to contemplate in the calm 
sunshine of a summer day, as I have viewed it from the top 
of the Platte Mounds." 

The face of Dane County is diversified by hills of moderate 
elevation, with corresponding valleys, the principal occupy- 
ing the Four Lakes, and their outlet. The capital of the 
State is situated in this county, of which I shall soon have 
occasion to speak. Chalcediny, agate, and cornelians have 
been found on the margin of Fourth Lake, near the capital. 
Green County, which lies south of Dane, is, like it, broken 
by moderate hills which are susceptible of cultivation to their 
tops. This County is in general well adapted to all the pur- 
poses of agriculture. The surrounding country hereabouts is 
a good deal diversified by hills and valleys, owing to the fra- 
gile nature of the limestone on which it rests. " North of 
the main ridge the limestone is succeeded by the underlying 
sandstone, forming chffs of a wild and picturesque appear- 
ance." On the summit of this ridge passes the main road. 

The district round the rising city of Portage is composed of 
a sandy soil, which yields much better crops than could be 
expected from its appearance. This sandy region is very ex- 
tensive. Portage is destined to become a place of some im- 
portance from its central position on the canal connecting the 
navigable riverp, Wisconsin and Fox. 



or W18C0NSIH. 19^ 



CHAPTER VIII 



The next subject which shall engage my attention, is a de- 
scription of the formation of the Upper 31ississippi, commen- 
cing at Prairie du Chien, which is built on a plain north of 
the Wisconsin River. Viewing the valley of the ^lississippi 
up towards the north, a range of geological terraces may be 
seen converging in long lines of perspective, which continue 
to rise as you ascend the valley, and especially in going north 
towards the Kickapoo. Though the strata actually rises in 
these directions, yet the face of the country retains nearly 
the same elevations ; from which it follows, that, one after 
another, the superior beds thin out and disappear, and the 
lower blue limestone, sandstone, and magnesian limestone 
gradually emerge from beneath the water courses, and are ul- 
timately found capping the adjacent hills, as may be seen 
near the mouth of Plumb Creek. Travelling still farther 
north or north-east, very thin beds of magnesian limestone 
are seen capping the crest of the hills ; and going a httle fur- 
ther, the stratum runs out, and is succeeded by the next infe- 
rior stratum. Though the surface stratum runs out, yet, at 
some distance, it is found again lO thicken. The lower mag- 
nesian limestone, at the bend of the 3Iississippi River, nearly 
runs out, and it again thickens farther north, near Bad Axe 
River. Between this and Prairie La Crosse the northerly rise 
again sets in, so that sajidstone constitutes the great body cl 
Mountain Island. 

9 



200 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

A few miles below this, the principal axis of the Upper 
Mississippi commences, where the strata again descend to- 
wards the falls of St. Anthony. Between th"» entrance to 
Lake Pepin, the lower sandstone and lower magnesian lime- 
stone stand at the height of forty feet, and at the great bend 
ot that lake, the top of the eminence stands at the same 
height. This order of superposition continues till we go 
three miles below Vermillion River, where the sandstone dis- 
appears, the magnesian hmestone occupying the whole way 
from the river to the top of the cliff. The sandstone again 
emerges from beneath the water, three or four miles above 
the mouth of the St. Croix. The lower magnesian limestone 
extends up the rivers Carron and Vermillion. 

The scene depicted by nature on the main branch of the 
Chippewa, about fifty miles from its mouth, is by no means 
devoid of beauty. Being based on a soft sandstone, the sur- 
face is covered with disintegrated sand in every direction. 
The Chippewa River has laid bare, on its north side, a bank 
of light yellow sand to the depth of forty feet. This sandy 
soil gives no great promise to lepay the farmer for his labor, 
containing only a small per centage of organic matter, while 
it contains a very large per centage of insoluble matter, com- 
posed chiefly of line white sand, and only a very small quan- 
tity of soluble salts, chiefly oxide of iron and alumina, with 
but a mere trace of lime. In some places, however, it is far 
more productive than its appearance would indicate, on ac- 
count of a larger admixture of calcareous drift, derived from 
the magnesian limestone. "A similar belt of land extends 
from the Chippewa to the Black River and Prairie La Crosse 
River." This tract lies nearly parallel with the Mississippi, 
distant from it about twenty miles, and averages in width 
from I'orty to fifty miles. It diverges from Prairie La Crosse 



OF WISCONSIN. 201 

to the east, and crosses the W.sconsin River between Point 
Bass and the Dalles. From the Menomonee. this sandy belt 
runs north and north-easterly, towards Apple River, but re- 
ceives a large quantity of calcareous matter, which improves 
its character. This sandstone district being interstratitied 
with magnesian limestone, the action of water undermines 
the harder rocks, leaving overhanging ledges and caverns, 
which are the favorite resort of reptiles, which are seen in 
multitudes here, as well as at the Mississippi, below liake 
Pepin, basking in the sun, at certain seasons of the year. In 
such places the traveller should be cautious. 

A striking analogy exists between the physical features of 
the country occupied by the lower magnesian limestone and 
that of the district before described, and occupied by the upper 
magnesian limestone. This resemblance, no doubt, is owing 
to the similar chemical composition of both rocks. The soil 
derived from the decomposition of both these formations is of 
excellent quaUty. being rich, not only in organic matter, but 
also in those mineral salts which confer durability and give 
rapidity to the growtli of plants. The immediate vicinity of 
the streams is in many places rough, but the rest presents a 
sufficiently level surface for agricultural purposes. But from 
Lake Pepin south, to the upper Iowa, the surface is consid- 
erably broken ; not too much so, however, for grazing pur- 
poses. This region is adapted to the breeding of sheep. 

The streams in this district are amply supphed with trout, 
and the rivers with bass, carp, sunfish, pickerel, pike and cat- 
fish. On the prairies are deer, grouse, pheasants and part- 
ridges ; and the streams are visited, at the proper season, by 
immense flocks of wild geese and ducks. The soil is of good 
quality between Turkey and Yellow rivers, in the eastern 
part of the Winnebago reserve, but is deficient in timber. 



202 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

The physical and agricultural features of the upper Iowa are 
somewhat similar to those of the district just described, as re- 
gards the land, a few miles below the Big Spring. The upland 
prairie between the upper Iowa and Turkey River is of second 
rate quahty, and the surface undulates ; the want of timber 
is a great drawback. 

Between Turkey River and the liead water of the Wapsi- 
penicon, and beyond that stream to near the Red Cedar, the 
country is rather marshy, but level, and deficient in timber. 
In the interior of the Chippewa land district, the features of 
the country vary with the change in the geological formation. 
A little before reaching the igneous ranges, the streams run 
between solid walls cut into the sandstone, known in that 
locality by the name of Dalles. In this region may be seen 
granite, sienite, greenstone, hornblende, gneiss, and mica 
slate. Chloritic and talcose rocks are also to be occasionally 
fonnd in the region. 

The most southerly point at which granite rocks occur 
on the tributaries of the Mississippi, is on the Black River. 
Having passed the east fork of the Black River, the primitive 
rocks extend nearly to the top of the highest hills, pebbly 
sandstone occurring here and there. The soil and timber at 
this place are considerably improved. After crossing Cun- 
ningham's Creek, the granite is replaced by gneiss, which 
extends five or six miles. " After the fourth principal meri- 
dian crosses Black River, no rocks, but boulders appear on 
the surface for sixty miles." 

It is not easy to define the boundaries of the sandstone re- 
'gion of Wisconsin. It occupies a large tract, resembling a 
crescent, commencing in the St. Croix district, and extend- 
ing to the Menomonec, the broadest part being on the Wis- 
consin River. This sandstone is supposed to be identical 



OF WISCONSIN. 203 

with the Pottsdam .sandstone of New York, from the discov- 
ery of fossils, characteristic of both, not far from Lyons, in 
Sauk County. This rock is supposed to be the oldest con- 
taining fossil remains. The northern parts of the State rent 
upoii primary and other rocks of igneous origin, such as gran- 
ite, trap, &c. This region is principally covered with pine. 

In a work like mine, I find it impossible to give a connected 
geological statement of facts ; as in connection with such 
facts I was often obliged to branch off into some other sub- 
ject relating to the industrial resources of the district under 
discussion. The economic geology of the State, therefore, 
could not be continuous without losing more time in the ar- 
rangement of the work than I could spare. 

The igneous ranges show themselves first in the beds of 
the east branch of the Chippewa. In all this region of coun- 
try, rapids are numerous, and water-power extensive, with oc- 
casional groves of good timber. In the Lake Superior re- 
gion is found good maple timber, indicative of good land ; the 
surface is much broken, but not so much so as to render it unfit 
for agricultural purposes. There are numerous ponds or mo- 
rasses in many of the hollows, and sometimes, on very ele- 
vated situations throughout this region, of trap formations. 
Similar ones occur in Michigan. From their circular form . 
and having no visible outlet, these are supposed to be cracks 
for the exit of lava. About a quarter of a mile north of the 
trap rock range, sandstone conglomerate makes its appear- 
ance. The maple land in the vicinity of the east fork is of 
good quality. 

The bays on Lake Superior are sandy ; the crests of the 
hills rocky, composed of sandstone and marly beds. A vari- 
ety of opinions have been advanced regarding the age of the 
conglomerates, marls and red sandstone of Lake Superior. 



204 IKDUSTRIAL KESOXTKCES 

Some believe them to be contemporaneous with the new red 
sandstone of Great Britain, and others refer them to the old- 
est sandstone of the New York system. As no organic re- 
mains are found here, it is difficult to decide this question. 
Dr. Owen, however, is of opinion, that from Hthological and 
mineralogical character, these rocks may be referred to the 
new red sandstone of England. Tvv^enty miles south of St. 
Louis river, fine pine timber may be seen, and also, on the 
heights, good sugar maple. 

Lake Superior is the largest body of fresh water in the 
world, containing, according to official report, 22,000 square 
miles. Its surface is elevated 596 feet above the ocean level, 
while portions of its bed are several hundred feet below it, 
thus making it one of the deepest depressions on the face of 
the earth, excluding those portions covered by the ocean 
waters. Its greatest length is 400 miles, and its greatest 
breadth 160 miles. It contains but few islands, some of these 
being of igneous origin. At a period not very remote, a 
strong current swept one of these islands in a northwesterly 
direction, grinding down the softer beds, and pohshing and 
grooving the hardest materials ; the grooves being perfectly 
distinct and well defined over a large extent. I have seen 
specimens whose surfaces were so definitely marked, that 
one would suppose tliey had recently left the hands of the 
engraver, their angles having suffered so little from the ordi- 
nary action of the elements. Six miles from Milwaukee, up 
the Menomonee River, is found a limestone well polished and 
beautifully fluted, all the grooves running perfectly parallel to 
one another, no two of them, however, being of the same 
breadth or depth. This stone is the best I have seen in the 
vicinity of Milwaukee, for building purposes, being rather 
compact and presenting a pretty smooth surface. 



or WISCONSIN. 206 

The basement story of a house in the town land of Lisbon 
shows the result of glacier movement in great perfection. 
The floor is perfectly polished, and the grooving in it ver}- 
deeply marked, but far asunder. I have seen the surface of 
a limestone quarry in the town of Menomonee, adjoining the 
town land of Granville, well polished, with numerous parallel 
gTooves, but shghtly marked. Near the lighthouse, one mile 
north of the village of Sheboygan, the upper face of the hme- 
stone rock, which is near a hundred feet under the surface, is 
polished and ground, the direction of the grooves being W. 
N. W. and E. S. E. A short distance from the lighthouse, 
the limestone presents the same polished surface, and is 
streaked similar to the rock at that place, the direction of the 
streak being the same as above. 

The water of Lake Superior occupies a depression not by 
any means " excavated out of the soft and yielding sand- 
stone ; " but caused by a depression of the earth, resulting 
from volcanic action. No mechanical action of water could 
excavate such an immense area to such a vast depth below 
the surface of the ocean, as the bottom of this wonderful ex- 
panse of water is known to be. To excavate it even a quar- 
ter of an inch below the surface of the ocean, would be a 
physical impossibility. Large quantities of gaseous matter 
having escaped from the regions now occupied by our great 
Lakes, a depression or falling down would necessarily take 
place, when the temperature became cooled. If this depression 
took place when those portions of this northern hemisphere, 
now occupied by the great lakes, w^ere covered by the ocean, 
the lakes must have originally been salt water. A paper re- 
cently read before the Archeological Society of Ireland, points 
out the historical date of the formation of Lough Neagh and 
other lakes in Ireland, by volcanic action. If the moon had 



206 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

seas and rivers, many of those deep volcanic caverns which 
have been rendered visible by Lord Rosse's telescope, would 
be lakes, whose bottoms would be far below the surrounding 
seas, as is the case with many of the American lakes. Num- 
bers of these lunar caverns are known to be of great depth, 
the surrounding surface presenting no cone, but rather a fiat 
plain, such as surrounds Lake Michigan and some of the other 
great lakes. These lunar caverns could no more be the re- 
sult of the mechanical action of water, (allowing that this fluid 
did exist in the moon,) than that water could ascend from a 
lower point to a higher, unassisted by any force. I must, 
therefore, refer the excavation of such of our lakes, at least, 
as are below the ocean, not to the mechanical action of wa- 
ter, but rather to volcanic action. If Lakes Michigan and 
Huron were elevated by igneous action, the abrading action 
of water may have carried away large quantities of the sur- 
face, but none under the ocean ; so that, in either case, a fall- 
ing down of the bottom must have taken place to account for 
their present position. 

Lake Superior is guarded on the east and north by an ir- 
regular belt of granite, which will arrest any further en- 
croachments of the waters at these points. There are some 
limited patches of Bandstone which have escaped the degra- 
ding action of the lake waters. 

Lake Michigan, next in magnitude to Lake Superior, bounds 
Wisconsin on the east, and covers an area of 20,400 square 
miles ; its greatest length being 320 miles, and greatest 
breadth 100 miles. The depth of Lake Superior is 900 feet, 
and its surface is 596 feet above the ocean, leaving its bottom 
304 feet below the ocean. The depth of Lake Michigan is 
1 000 feet, and its surface is 678 feet above the sea ; there- 
fore the bottom of Luke Micliigan is 422 feet below the ocean. 



OF WISCONSIN. gQ7 

Lake Huron is 1000 feet deep, and its surface 578 above 
the ocean ; therefore its bottom is 422 feet below the surface 
of the ocean. This hike occupies an area of 20,400 square 
miles. 

From what is here exhibited, it appears that Lakes Michi- ] 
gan and Huron are on the same level. Lake Erie is compa- " 
ratively shallow, its mean depth being onlv 84 feet, and area « 
9,600 square miles, and its surface 665 feet above the sea. 
Ontario has a mean depth of 500 feet, and covers 6,300 square I 
miles. Its surface is 232 feet above the sea. Lake St. 
Clair covers an area of 364 square miles, and is only 20 feet 
deep, its surface being 570 feet over the sea. ' 

The area drained by these lakes is estimated at 335,515 
square miles, all of which being a part of that immense plain 
bounded by the Appalachian chain of mountains on the east. 
and by the Rocky Mountains on the west, and extending 
north and south from the Arctic Sea to the Gulf of Mexico: 
The mean elevation of this immense region is less than 1000 
feet, and its highest points nowhere exceed 2500 feet. Thene 
culminating points can scarcely be designated mountains, 
being only the more elevated portions of a gently rising and 
widely extended plateau. The two great outlets to cany off 
all the water of this vast district are the St. Lawrence and 
the Mississippi. The Mississippi is by far the larger, but 
the St. Lawrence dj-scharges the greater quantitv of water 
into the ocean. The St. Lawrence has stupendous catar- 
acts-the other difficult rapids; the -Father of Waters" is 
turbid— the water of the other preserves crystal purity. The 
St. Lawrence swells into inland seas— the other is destitute 
of such expansions, except Lake Pepin. Both, however, are 
similar in one particular, being the great highways of com- 
merce, by which the vast regions] through which they pass 
are enriched and supplied with the luxuries of other chmes. 



208 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

It has been argued by many that these lakes have tides 
similar to those in the open seas ; but now it is an admitted 
fact that there is no regular flow or ebb of the waters similar 
to what is observed on the sea shore. No doubt, the waters 
constantly lash the shore with a degree of force proportionate 
to existing causes ; but the changes in the elevation are too 
variable to be traced to any natural cause constantly acting. 
I have taken some trouble myself to ascertain if the surface of 
Lake Michigan obeyed the attracting influence of the sun and 
moon, but on account of the hmited area over which the at- 
tracting force of these bodies acts, I could observe no regular 
rise or fall of the surface, such as would result from the laws 
of gravity. The constant motion of the waters of these lakes 
may be traced to other causes of a local character. The vari- 
ation in the surface of the lake may be due to unequal baro- 
metric pressures on its surface, at different points, at the same 
time, by which motion may be communicated, such as is gen- 
erally seen on the margin of the lake. There are, however, 
times when the water is perfectly motionless, but not often 
for any length of time together. A local increased or dimin- 
ished atmospheric pressure would lower or raise the water 
level, especially where the expanse of water is considerable. 
The water being thus locally raised, vv^ould, from its gravity, 
fall back, by which an oscillating motion would be communi- 
cated, which would continue for some time afrer the produ- 
cing cause had ceased. In Such a v;ide expanse of water as 
Lake Michigan, or Lake Superior, the surface must be con- 
stantly subject to unequal barometric pressure, by which the 
surface must be continually disturbed. The action of the 
wind must likewise set the water in motion, as is well known 
to every one occupying a low situation on the border of any 
of the lakes. A strong easterly wind will cause the waves to 



or WISCONSIN. 209 

rise some feet at all the piers along the western shore of Lake 
Michigan, inundating all such places as lie below a certain 
level. A westerly wind will produce similar effects on the 
eastern shore of the lake. De Le Bach very properly ob- 
serves, that a teudden impulse given to particles of water, 
either by suddenly increased or diminished pressure of the at- 
mosphere, would cause a rise or fall, in the manner of a wave, 
beyond the height or depth strictly due to mere w^eight itself. 
This would manifestly give rise to a series of aqueous waves, 
which would propagate themselves from the centre of disturb- 
ance, like the circles which are observed when a stone is 
thrown into the water. Hence it is that undulations are ob- 
served in the water before the gale sets in. 

It is known that there is an annual variation in the surface 
of these lakes, arising from the melting of the ice and snow, 
which accumulate in their catchment basins during the incle- 
ment seasons of the year. When the water and snow freeze, 
the supply to the lakes diminishes, and therefore the surface 
falls ; but when these congealed masses begin to melt under 
the influence of returning heat, the surface of the lakes be- 
gins to rise. To this may be added the spring rains, which 
tend to elevate the lake surface in proportion to the quantity 
fallen. 

Besides the annual rise of the lakes, which is but small, 
(being no more than from 12 to 18 inches,) a considerable one 
is known to recur at unequal intervals, varying from five to 
seven years, and, according to the report of persons who had 
opportunities of observing the phenomenon, to fourteen and 
nineteen years. During the last year, the surface of Lake 
Michigan attained a height of about four feet above its usual 
level, by which the lower parts of the city of Milwaukee 
were covered with water. A knowledge of this fact shows 



210 nnrraTRiAL besottrces 

tne necessity of filling up such places, so as to raise them 
above the destructive influence of such recurring variations. 
Lake Superior has been known to rise six feet above its usual 
level. The cause of these variations in the surface of the 
lakes, at unequal intervals, is not so easily accounted for as 
the annual variation. One might be apt to refer the cause to 
the melting of immense glaciers, which might have taken 
years to accumulate in the bosom of some elevated regions in 
a high latitude j but the geography of the country shows that 
no such regions exist, and no evidence is on record of the ex- 
istence of such accumulations. Therefore we cannot refer 
these extraordinary accumulations of water in the lakes to 
extraordinary accumulations of snov/. To what, then, are 
these periodical elevations of the surface of the lakes to be 
referred ] Are we to refer the cause to increased rains fall- 
ing in the catchment basins of the lakes at unequal intervals T 
No rain gauges having been kept in the Lake Superior re- 
gion, the condition of all its tributaries previous to, and du- 
ring the gradual elevations of the surface, can only be re- 
sorted to in the solution of the problem. Gentlemen connec- 
ted with the copper mines of Lake Superior, informed me that 
during the years 1851 and 1862, the surface of the lake con- 
tinued to rise day by day, while all the tributaries to it were 
lower than they had been seen for many years before. This 
information v/as corroborated by Mr. Sterhng, of the State of 
Pennsylvania, a gentleman of great and correct observation, 
who travelled round the lake in 1852, when its surface was 
from four to six feet higher than usual, while he observed all 
its rivers and streams lower than usual, which proves that 
the increased elevation of the surface could, by no means, be 
due to an unusual quantity of rain falling in its catchment 
basin, previous to, and during the year in which the surface 



OF wiscoNsrar. 211 

was seen continually to rise ; from which it appears that we 
must look to some other cause than that of rain for the solu- 
tion of the problem. 

In connection with this subject, I might mention that the 
Fox River, the principal tributar}- to Lake Michigan, contri- 
buted a less quantity of water than usual to that lake, in 1852, 
while the surface of the lake rose, during that year, from three 
to four feet higher than usual. Persons living on the bank of 
the Mississippi River assured me that that river was three feet 
lower during that year than usual. 

From these facts the conclusion is irresistible — namely, 
that igneous action communicated an upw^ard motion to the 
bottom of the lakes, which, of course, caused the water to 
rise while the upward movement continued. If we conceive 
this upward motion to cease, the surface of the lakes would 
soon begin to descend by discharging th'^ elevated surface 
through the usual natural channel. When the upward force 
began again to act, so as to communicate motion, the same 
phenomenon must necessarily have taken place. And as 
there is no reason why this internal force should communi- 
cate motion at equal intervals of time, we cannot expect a re- 
currence oi the above phenomenon at the end of equal periods. 
Our rivers show ample evidence of this up-heaving force ; as 
they are all of considerable depth for some distance from the 
lakes ; a condition that could not exist under any other cir- 
cumstance than that of subterranean force, v^^hich would drive 
back the elevated waters, just as we see them at the diiferent 
points where the rivers discharge themselves into the lake. 
These deep channels, now occupied by still water, must have 
been excavated by the mechanical action of water flowing 
from a higher to a lower point. Hence it appears that the 
water must have been forced back into these deep channel* 



212- INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

by an upward motion communicated to the bottom of our 
lake ; and as this phenomenon occurred once, without any 
doubt, there is no reason why it should not occur again and 
again, as ofton as similar circumstances may occur. 

The following table, showing the quantity of rain and snow 
fallen at Milwaukee, in the years 1849, 1860, 1851 and 18.52, 
proves conclusively, so far as that locality is concerned, that 
the great elevation of Lake Michigan in 1851 and 1852 could 
not have been the result of increased rains : 





1849. 


1850. 


1851. 


1852. 


January, 


0.00 


0.75 


0.89 


1.13 


February, 


0.00 


0.33 


2.51 


1.00 


March, 


2.31 


2.85 


0.37 


4.56 


April, 


3.24 


2.24 


1.47 


2.64 


May, 


4.08 


0.28 


6.85 


1.95 


June, 


3.73 


1.98 


4.43 


2.46 


July, 


2.36 


1.99 


3.37 


3.27 


August, 


3.54 


9.03 


3.15 


0.58 


September, 


1.25 


1.73 


2.92 


2.30 


October, 


3.07 


1.00 


1.32 


4.87 


November, 


5.00 


2.80 


2.08 


2.72 


December, 


0.94 


1.43 


1.04 


1.85 



Total inche.s, 29.49 26.41 33.40 29.33 
It may be seen by this table, that more rain fell during ton 
months of the year 1849, than during the whole year of 1850: 
yet the lak^ was higher in 1850 than in 1849 ; and, compar- 
ing the quantity fallen during ten months of 1849 with that 
which fell in 1852, we see that the former exceeded the lat- 
ter, though the surface of Lake Michigan was higher in '52 
than in -49, by three or four feet. 



OF WISCONSIN. 213 

] was told that Lake Huron was higher in 1852 than usual, 
but got no reliable information in reference to the state of its 
tributaries in that year. 

Green Bay, a name derived from the fancied color of the 
water, may be considered as a part of Lake Michigan, being 
the outlet of the Fox or Neenah River. At this point there 
are several islands, the largest being Potawotomie Island. 
The bay contains, besides this, Rock Island, Detroit and Plum 
Islands, Chamber Island, and Grass Island. 

The largest lake in the State is Lake Winnebago, being 
about thirty miles long and ten broad, and containing an area 
of about two hundred and twenty square miles. The Fox, or 
Neenah River, enters it at Oshkosh, and issues from it by two 
channels ; the south channel leading to the town of Neenah, 
and the north to Menasha, enclosing Doty Island between 
both branches. These two rival towns have grown with 
magic speed within a few years, and are destined, at least 
one of them, to rise to some importance ; occupying, as they 
do, the high way between the great lakes and the Missis- 
sippi. These cliannels, connecting Lake Winnebago with 
the little Butte des Mortes lake, are known as the Winne- 
bago Rapids, which are now navigable by steam-boats. 
When I first went to lay out the canal at the Neenah side, 
only one boat was employed on the lake, and now there are 
no less than , being an increase of in about three 

years ; and if the improvements down from these points to 
Green Bay, and west to the Mississippi, were completed, 
which it is expected they will be within a year or two, I have 
no doubt but scores of steamboats will be seen daily on this 
fine sheet of water. In calm weather, the water of this lake 
is quite clear ; but during a heavy gale it becomes turbid, the 
lake being shallow, but sufficiently deep for purposes of navi- 



214 INDUSTRIAL RESOUBCES 

gation. This lake must have been deeper than at present. 
For about the distance of eight miles, the north shore of Lake 
Winnebago is composed of a low sandy beach, and for an ex- 
tent of fifteen miles, the east side of the shore presents a wall 
composed of rocks, so closely laid together as to lead one to sup- 
pose that the work was constructed by man . A similar wall,but 
of less continuity, skirts portions of the western shore. These 
walls rise about five feet above the water, and extend under 
it some hundreds of feet. These walls have been caused by 
the expansive force of ice in v.inter, by v/hich the rocks neai 
the shore arc annually driven towards it, until they are finally 
thrown up into a ridge, or wall ; a phenomenon observable in 
Pewaukee, and other lakes in Milwaukee County. The sur- 
face of this lake, according to Captain Cram, is 160 feet above 
the level of Lake Michigan. 

All these vast lakes discharge themselves through the river 
St. Lawrence ; but time has left upon record ample evidence 
that Lake Michigan once sent its waters down the valley of 
the Illinois, into the Father of Waters. Lakes Huron and 
Erie were then tributaries to Lake Michigan. I have traced 
the old track through Illinois, and, if space and time permit- 
ted, I should feel much pleasure in describing the evidences 
left behind by the deserted river. It is supposed that a bar- 
rier once existed across the straits of Mackinaw, through 
which the waters of Lake Michigan now flow into Lake Hu- 
ron. This change of direction in the course of these im- 
mense bodies of water may be accounted for on the principle 
of elevation and depression. The bottom of Lake Michigan 
must have once occupied, relatively to its western shores, a 
lower position than it does at present, as before stated. All 
the streams I have seen discharging themselves into this lake, 
are, for some distance inland, very deep, affording basins for 



OF WISCONSIN. 215 

the accommodation of shippino- at Chicago, Southport, Racine, 
Milwaukee, Port Washington, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, «fec. 

Ancient lake beeches are traced round Lake Erie, elevated 
one hundred and eight feet above the present surface of the 
water, which is sufficient evidence that a depression must 
have taken place at that point. Now, a depression of the 
country about the Niagara River, and an elevation of the 
northern part of Illinois, would evidently change the course 
of the lake waters from the Mississippi to the St. Lawrence, 
as we find them at present. Every geologist is aware that 
great changes in the relative elevations of several districts 
have taken place, and that the causes which produced such 
changes are still in operation in many parts of the world. 
The earth is rising in Scandanavia at the rate of two feet in 
a century, and I have no doubt but that Lake Michigan is ri- 
sing, not, perhaps, by an equible motion, from a similar cause. 

The absence of islands in Lake Michigan, except a few 
near its northern extremity, is unfavorable to navigation, as 
there is scarcely anything deserving the name of a deep bay 
on the entire coast, except at Green Bay, before noticed. 
There are circumstances, however, which, in some degree, 
compensate for the absence of deep bays or islands along the 
western shores of Lake Michigan. Not a single shoal or 
rock is to be found, the entire coast being lined with a bank 
of clay, and the margin sufficiently deep for vessels drawing 
any depth of water, with these deep and safe inlets at the 
mouths of the streams, before mentioned. It is very remark- 
able that all these great lakes are characterized by the ab- 
sence of islands. 

Hitherto these Western States have been hemmed in for 
about five months in the year by the ice and snow. The nav- 
ig^ion of Lake Michigan usually opens in llie month of 



216 IHBUSTEIAL RESOURCES 

March, but we seldom have arrivals from below the straits of 
Mackinaw till some time in April, in consequence of these 
straits remaining closed with masses of solid ice until about 
this time. In future, I see no reason why we should continue 
separated from the eastern States even for one m.onth. The 
Rail Roads proposed to be built along the shore, from Green 
Bay to Chicago, and from Grand Flaven, opposite Milwaukee, 
to Detroit, and by Port Huron, to Halifax, will enable the 
Wisconsin merchant, and others, to go to New York or Bos- 
ton, or to any other place where their business may require 
them to go. The navigation across the lake, from Milwaukee 
to Grand Haven, may not be interrupted for three days to- 
gether during a v/hole year ; but should it become interrupted, 
the difficulty will be obviated by going through Chicago. The 
use of an ice-breaker would enable a first class steamboat to 
cross the lake during the entire winter, during high gales ex- 
cepted. A break-water outside, and a good dock at or near 
the confluence of the Milwaukee and Menomonee rivers, with 
a straight cut to the lake, would advance the interests of the 
city of Milwaukee very considerably. These are improve- 
ments which the necessities of the State imperatively demand 
speedily to be carried into effect. 

The shipping business en these lakes is almost incredible, 
when we consider the few years that have elapsed since the 
first steamboat made its appearance on their surface, which 
was in the year 1819, when the Walk-in-the-Water made 
two or three trips to Lake Huron. It was not, however, till 
the year IS26 that tbo silvery waters of Lake Michigan were 
first ploughed by the keel of a steamboat — a pleasure trip, 
from Buffalo to Green Bay, having been made in the summer 
of this year. In 1832, the first steamboat greeted the city of 
Chicago witli a snort, and in 1838 nearly the entire trade ol 



OF WISCONSIN. 217 

the upper lakes, Erie, Huron, and Michigan, was carried 
on by eleven small steamers. But in 1845, there were 
upon the upper lakes sixty vessels, including propel- 
lers, moved by steam, and three hundred and twenty 
sailing vessels ; the former measuring twenty thousand 
tons, in the aggregate, and some of the latter carrying 
one thousand tons each. In 1846, according to official state- 
ments exhibiting the consolidated returns of both exports and 
imports, the monied value of the commerce of the harbors of 
Erie was 849,145,750. At present, it is supposed that the 
commerce of lakes Erie and Michigan amounts to over $76,- 
000,000. 

The following steamers and the routes they are intended 
to occupy during the season of 1852, will give some idea of 
the commercial business of the lakes : 

Chicago and Buffalo line — the Lady Elgin, Sultana, Hud- 
son, Globe, America, and Wisconsin. The Minnesota and 
Iowa will make eighteen trips between Buffalo and Chicago, 
carrying freight and passengers. 

Chicago and Milwaukee line — in connection with the 
Michigan Central and Southern Rail Eoad Hnes : the Arctic 
and Pacific. The Sam Ward will run to Chicago and New 
Buffalo until the completion of the Central road to that city. 

Chicago and Grand River line — the Telegraph. 

Buffalo and Green Bay line — the Michigan and J. D. Mor- 
ton. 

Buffalo and Detroit line — ^in connection with the Michigan 
Central Rail Road : the May Flower, Ocean and Atlantic. 

Buffalo and Toledo line — the Albany, Troy, Ohio, Supe- 
rior, Louisiana, Baltic, and Diamond. 

Buffalo and Cleveland line — in connection with the Cleve- 
land, Columbus and Cincinnati Rail Road : the Empire State 
and Buckeye State. 

10 



218 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Dunkirk and Detroit line — the Queen City and Alabama. 

Cleveland and Detroit line — the Forest City and Cleveland. 

Sandusky and Detroit line — the Arrow. 

Wisconsin owns (1852) in vessels trading from her own 
ports, 6,526 tons burthen, and employs 325 seamen. She 
exported in 1851, by way of Lake Michig^an, the value of 
$2,381,070. The total amount of value entrusted to the dif- 
ferent western lakes diaring 1851, is, to — 

Champlain, $17,740,108 Ontario, $31,470,349 

Erie, 127,381,432 St. Clair, 722,900 

Huron, 1,420,210 Superior, 4,111,317 

Michigan, 82,361,314 

The lumber business of Milwaukee, in imports, partly from 
Michigan and partly Wisconsin, is as follows, viz : 

1850. 1851. 1852. 1853. 

Boards, ft., 30,160,970 30,103,092 12,649,426 15,000,000 
Timber, 11,214,182 15,782,043 

Laths, 2,342,000 7,481,413 5,300,000 

Planks, 10,918,207 17,182,318 

Shingles, 1,700,400 15,180,750 6,820,000 9,000,000 

Wisconsin exported in 1851, by way of Lake Michigan 
the value of $2,381,070. 

Property to the amount of $730,537 was lost on the west- 
ern lakes, in 1851, and 79 lives. And five steamers, three 
propellers, and thirty-seven sailing vessels were totally lost 
during the last four years, besides property to the amount of 
$2,678,146, and 563 lives. In 1852 the loss of property 
was $260,000 greater than in any previous year, being $3,- 
235,701, as prepared by Capt. Rounds. There occurred in 
all, two hundred and twenty-nine disasters ; of which seven 
occurred in the month of April, nineteen in May, twenty-four 
in June, fifteen in July, sixteen in August, twenty-one in 



OF WISCONSIN. 219 

September, twenty-seven in October, eighty-five in Novem- 
ber, and fifteen in December. Six steamers, seven propel- 
lers, and thirty-five saihng vessels have gone out of existence 
altogether. Capt. Jones observes that, regarding the loss of 
hfe by the steamer x\tlantic, there are various opinions ; her 
agents and proprietors contending it not to exceed one hund- 
red and fifty, while many who were familiar with the cir- 
cumstances, set it as high as three hundred, and some even 
higher. 

The fearful amount of the loss of life on our American 
lakes and rivers, arising, without any doubt, from wilful neg- 
lect on the part of those in command of our steamers ; calls 
in the most earnest terms for some legislative enactments 
sufiiciently strong to arrest an evil which has caused fearful 
ravages, for some years back, on the lakes and rivers. Every 
one who places any value upon human hfe, must be horror- 
struck with the inhuman conduct of steamboat commanders, 
who sacrifice hundreds of valuable lives by the practice of 
running races with rival boats. No punishment is too severe 
for such inhuman conduct. The number of hves lost within 
the present year (1852) is so appalling that Congress cannot 
permit the session to pass away Vrithout passing a law to pro- 
tect life and property committed to the care of captains in 
command of our lake and river steamers. It is, however, but 
justice to say that those who have proved themselves reck- 
less of human life, are the exception — not the rule. I have 
known several eareful, polite and attentive gentlemen in com- 
mand of many of our steamboats. My observation cannot, of 
course, apply to them. They are governed by the laws of 
duty and humanity. I am bound to bear testimony to the 
polite attention and great caution of the gentlemen connected 
with the navigation of Lake Michigan. In no instance have 



220 



INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



they neglected their duty, so far as I had any opportunity of 
judging. 

The number of steamboat accidents during the past year, 
(1853), has been but few, compared with preceding years, 
which is no doubt mainly due to the working of the new 
steamboat law. The following is a table of steamboat acci- 
dents : 





Accidents. 


Killed. 


Wounded. 


January, 


4 


26 


38 


February, 


1 


120 


17 


March, 


3 


30 


21 


April, 


3 


68 


— 


May, 


none 


— 


17 


June, 


4 


19 


2 


July, 


1 


7 


5 


August, 


2 


2 


14 


September, 


3 


3 


23 


October, 


4 


18 


10 


November, 


3 


18 


16 


December, 


3 


13 


— 



31 314 183 

The quantity of fish caught in these lakes is really aston- 
ishing — the white fish being by far the best. Sturgeon of 
large size are caught in Lake Michigan ; and, among other 
fish found in many of our lakes and rivers, are aalmon, perch, 
bass, suckers, herrings, pickerel, trout, cat-fish, sheep's-head, 
lawyers, and many others. Large quantities of the fish are 
used in all the populous towns in the State, and in some 
places in the northern parts of the State, where agriculture 
has not made much progress ; and where game is scarce, the 
Indians have lived almost exclusively on it. The salmon, or 
trout, is not as good a quality as those caught in Great Brit- 



OF WISCONSIN. 221 

ain or Ireland. The exact quantity of fish taken in our lakes 
is not easily ascertained, as no one takes the trouble to col- 
lect the statistics of this important branch of cur resources. 

Besides Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Winnebago, our 
State is profusely dotted with many others of less note, in 
point of magnitude ; several of them exhibiting the grandest 
scenery that can be imagined. Skirting many of these deep 
and crystal reservoirs, are sloping hills, covered with groves 
and clumps of stately trees, precipitous bluifs covered with 
cedar, hemlock, spruce, and other evergreens ; projecting 
rocks, (whose bases have been worn away by the corroding 
hand of time,) on which the American eagle stands, with all 
the pride of majesty, inspired by the consciousness of his 
power and superiority over the rest of the feathered tribes of 
the forest, eagerly watching the ingress and egress of such 
animals as may have taken refuge in the gloomy cavern be- 
neath, and ready to pounce upon them with relentless rapa- 
city. The thousands of small wooded islands confer on the 
Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake a degree of picturesque 
character peculiarly interesting. 

Particular description of scenery forms no part of my de- 
sign, otherwise many of the smaller lakes of Wisconsin 
would deserve special notice. Among them are Cass Lake, 
Lake Pepin, St. Croix, (Upper and Lower), the Four Lakes, 
the Mille Lac, Ottowa, Geneva, Green, Little Green, Pewau- 
kee, Pewaugan, Koshkonong, Sand Lake, Leech Lake, Na- 
goweeka Lake, Nemahbin Lake, Crooked Lake, Oanberry 
Lake, Silver Lake, La Belle Lake, Oconomowoc Lake, Lac 
Traverse, Itasca Lake, Front Lake, Lac Brule, Lake Kata- 
kettlekon, Little or Lac Vieux Deserte, Sturgeon Lake, Lac 
de Flambeau, or Torch Lake, Otter Lake, Lake Puckawa, 
Buffalo Lake, Lake Showano, English Lake, Cedar Lake, 



222 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Bear Lake, Big Elkhart Lake, Little Elkhart Lake, Sheboy- 
gan Lake, Musquewoc Lake, Random Lake, Gold Lake, 
Kauchee Lake, Beaver Lake, Mequonago Lake, Mouse Lake, 
Monish Lake, Muskego Lake, Nagowick Lake, Nashota 
(Twin) Lakes, North Lake, Pine Lake, Round Lake, 
Powock Lake, Tuck-kip-ping Lake, Deiavan Lake, 
Como Lake, Deer Lake, Rock Lake, Ripley Lake, 
Red Cedar Lake, Fox Lake, Lake Emily, Lakie, Long Lake, 
Rush Lake, Great Butte des Mortes, Little Butte des Mortes, 
Swan Lake, Mud Lake, Lake Sarah, Lac Courtsielle, Lac 
Chetac, Tamarack Lake, Rice Lake, Yellow Lake, Lake Po- 
kegoma, Portage Lake, White Elk Lake, Puckwee Lake, or 
Flag Lake, Island Lake, Pekegomag Lake, Big Turtle Luke, 
Little Turtle Lake, Kewaykevede, Little Lake, Swamp Lake, 
LakeWepelanock, Lower Rock Lake, Upper Rock Lake, Mus- 
cle Lake, Qui Traine Lake, Lilly Lake, Sheshebagomag Lake, 
Mishun Lake, La Roche Lake, Winibigoshish Lake, Lac Grit, 
Hornangle Lake, Pejekig Lake. Besides these, Wisconsin 
contains numerous lakes which have not yet received names. 
The lakes are here mentioned without any regard to order or 
locality. Those wishing to know the localities of the minor 
lakes here mentioned, may consult Mr. Lapham's work on 
Wisconsin. 

The lakes in the north and west parts of the State of Wis- 
consin may be divided into two classes, or, rather, varieties. 
From these lakes, many of the streams take their rise. One 
class, or variety, forms a chain, connected by streams, some- 
times so shallow as scarcely to admit the passage of a light 
canoe, while in other instances they are formed by the ex- 
pansion of the waters of larger streams in basins of one or 
two miles in diameter. To this variety belong the lakes 
which have no communication except in the spring of the 



OF WISCONSIN. 223 

year, during the melting of the snosv, or in rainy seasons, 
" when they are joined by streams which flow along vaHies, 
once evidently the beds of large water courses, but now ele- 
vated above the general level of the lakes, and converted into 
meadows, cranberry marshes, or swamps."' Mr. Norwood 
further observes, that between a great portion of the now iso- 
lated lakes west of Bois Bruel and St. Croix River, from St. 
Louis River to the Falls of St. Anthony, old communications 
of this kind may be traced, and most of the rich vallies of that 
portion of the district owe their soils to lacustrine deposites, 
made during the long period of elevation, during which the 
beds of large rivers were first converted into chains of lakes, 
and subsequently drained, as the process of elevation con- 
tinued." 

Many of the vaUies west of the Bois Brule, and south of the 
great bend of the St. Louis River, present indications of hav- 
ing been drained at a comparatively recent period, while 
some of them are evidently in process of drainage at the pres- 
sent time ; so that we may safely calculate on a considerable 
addition to the tillage land of the State in the course of time. 
This process of drainage might be accelerated by art, at a 
very inconsiderable expense. In connection with this pro- 
cess ot drainage, I take leave to state that Dr. Owen says 
that the Little Makoquito, (a stream barely large enough to 
turn a mill,) has, by abrading its channel for countless ages, 
worn its bed to the depth of four hundred feet in solid lime- 
stone, and that the mighty Mississippi has rolled its tide long 
enough to have w^orn the chasm through which it passes. 

Before I conclude the subject connected with these two 
classes of lakes, I might mention, as being rather curious, 
that several of them are situated at the summit of the water- 
shed, and are tributary both to Lake Superior, and the Mis- 
sissippi. 



224 INDUSTRIAL RESOUECES 

The second variet}- of lakes are such as have no visible 
outlet, or any visible source of supply except what collects 
from the surrounding hills. These are perhaps more numer- 
ous than the chain variety, before described. These lakes, 
which seldom exceed one mile in diameter, are generally 
found in districts based upon sandstone, or where heavy de- 
posites of drift are found resting on metamorphic rocks. 
These lakes are generally circular or ovai,whilethe chain lakes 
present every variety of form. These circular or oval lakes 
are generally from 60 to 100 feet under the surrounding sur- 
face, " the ground sloping down to the water's edge with 
great regularity, like the descent of an amphitheatre, and cov- 
ered with grass." Many of these lakes are dotted with 
islands, based on boulders, and covered with wood. These 
are seldom of any considerable depth, and are supplied, as 
well as the chain lakes, with delicious fish. These lakes 
show unmistakeable evidence of being extinct volcanoes. 
The borders of some of the chain lakes are covered with 
marsh, in which the wild rice grows in great plenty, which 
invites myriads of wild fowl to flock together in this region of 
country. The beds of almost all are pebbly, and the water 
clear. 

With so many lakes and rivers, what country is better 
supplied with fish and fowl ] With such a vast extent of na- 
vigable waters, what country can equal it in faciUties of trans- 
port '? The Mississippi alone, with its tributaries, affords 
continuous navigation for 14,500 miles. On this river are 
600 steamers, making a tonnage of 150,000, worth $16,000,- 
000, and carrying ^250,000,000 yearly. When all the Rail 
Roads chartered, at present amounting to 63, shall have been 
completed, all the tributaries to this river made navigable, 



OF wisccnNSiN. 225 

what calculation will represent the sum total of the business 
done on it ! Time alone can tell. The Mississippi, with 
all its outlets, measures 51,U00 miles, and some writers are 
of opinion that 20,000 miles are navigable, which exceeds 
the above estimate. 



CHAPTER IX. 



Equal, if not many degrees superior, in importance to our 
water carriage, will be our rail roads, when completed. An 
inspection of the ma p of Wisconsin will show, that Vv'hen the 
roads now in progress, and those for which charters have been 
obtained, shall have been in travelling order, no State in the 
Union can compete with this, as regards facihties of internal 
intercourse. All we want in Wisconsin is unanimity. By 
co-operating in carrying out all such improvements as are cal- 
culated to benefit the State generally, and discountenancing 
wild schemes, serving no other purpose than to impose on 
the pubHc and benefit the concoctors of such schemes, this 
State will keep pace, perhaps, with any in the Union. 

The following list of rail roads, already chartered, will 
show that Wisconsin will soon afford facilities for travelling 
not surpassed by any of the Western States : 

Milwaukee and Mississippi ;* Green Bay, Milwaukee and 
Chicago;* Rock River Valley;* Sheboygan and Mississippi;* 
Watertown and Berlin, Beloit and Madison;* Michigan and 
Wisconsin Transit ; Kenosha and Beloit ;* Wisconsin Cen- 



226 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

tral, Mineral Point ;* Green Bay and Minnesota ; Water- 
town and Madison : Green Ba}'^, Depere and Madison ; Ra- 
cine, Janesville and Mississippi ;* Southern Wisconsin ;* 
Fox River Valley ; Milwaukee, Waukesha, Jefferson and 
Madison ; Western Wisconsin and Mining ; Manitowoc and 
Mississippi ;* Berhn and Lake Superior; Columbus, Montello 
and Stevens' Point ; Milwaukee, Fond du Lac and Green 
Bay ; La Crosse and Portage City ; Winnebago, Racine and 
Portage City ; Port Washington and Lake Winnebago; Om- 
ro and Waupun ; Oshkosh and Lake Superior ; Oshkosh and 
Portage City ; Janesville, Fulton and Beloit ; Fort Howard 
and Lake Winnebago ; Madison and Prairie du Chien ;- Mad- 
ison, Sauk and Mississippi ; Milwaukee and Fond du Lac;*| 
La Crosse and Milwaukee ;* Mihvaukee and La Crosse ;* 
Milwaukee and Horicon ;* Milwaukee and Watertown ;* 
Kenosha and Beloit ;* Potosi and Dodgeville ;* Shullsburg 
Branch ;* Madison and Kenosha ;* Madison and Swan Lake;* 
Fort Winnebago, Baraboo Valley and Madison ;* Delavan ;=f^ 
Cascade and Lake Michigan ;* Fond du Lac and Madison ;* 
Green Bay and Lake Superior ;* Madison, Fort Atkinson 
and Whitewater ;* Portage City, Stevens' Point and White- 
water ;* Portage City, Stevens' Point and Wausaii ;* North- 
western. *) 

The farmer of Wisconsin, like the merchant, makes his 
money, not of what he consumes, but of what he sells ; and 
as his profits depend considerably on the facility of transport- 
ing his produce to the market, and the cost of doing so, it fol- 
lows that nothing should be left undone, either on the part of 
government or thc^ people, to open up and extend the chan- 



* T'lic roadp niarkod with an * were chartered prior to 1853, and many of 
them wore granted extensions and hranobos at that !^es?ion ; *t consolidated in 
l'<.'>3 with the Milwaukee and Mi,-'f<issippi ; *% consolidated in 1853 with the Mil- 
waukee. Fond du La<: and Green Bay 
The foregoiup list has been taken from the Milwaukee Sentinel. 



OF WISCONSIN. 227 

nels of transmission, by which the farmer's interest will be 
promoted, trade and commerce extended, the merchant's gain 
increased, and every class through which the produce passes, 
including the consumer, benefited. Where industiy prevails, 
its moral, as well as its physical effect, soon manifests itself. 
Employment provides competence, creates a desire to save 
and diminishes a desire for profligacy, dissipation, and feuds, 
political and religious. While the construction ot rail roads 
and other avenues of communication afford present employ- 
ment, they become the source of wealth to thousands, secur- 
ing, when completed, to the working population increased 
employment, by thus extending the field of industry, and lay- 
ing the surest foundation on which to build the future pros- 
perity and happiness of the State. The mineral treasures 
now lying useless in many parts of the State will become ac- 
cessible, and its agricultural capabilities fully developed. 

The Milwaukee and Mississippi Rail Road must command 
a vast amount of business, passing, as it does, through a 
densely populated agricultural country, and numerous villages, 
among them the flourishing towns of Janesville, and Madison, 
the capital of the State. The road will soon be finished to 
Madison, and will be pushed through to Prairie du Chieii, on 
the Mississippi, as fast as circumstances will allow. What 
this road is destined to do, is not a matter of conjecture or 
prophecy. What it has already done is a sufficient guarantee 
for wlmt it will do when completed. Its earnings in 1853, 
amounted to ^221,456, 62, which left the shareholders a div- 
idend of 10 per cent, on the capital invested, giving confi- 
dent hope of becoming one of the best paying roads on this 
continent. This road will command a portion of the min- 
eral trade. 

The La Crosse Rail Road will open up a vast field of en- 
terprise and industrial labor, passing, as it will, through re- 



228 INDUSTRIAL KESOURCES 

gions rich in mineral wealth, luxuriant in soil, and abundant 
in timber, which cannot fail to induce miners, farmers and 
lumbermen to locate along its route. The proximity of the 
Iron Ridge to the rising city of Milwaukee must soon ensure 
the outlay of capital to convert this inexhaustible mountain of 
iron ore into countless wealth, giving employment to thous- 
ands, and spreading the blessings of home manufacture 
among all classes of our people. Instead of sending our cap- 
ital to other States to purchase stoves and other articles of 
domestic use, we shall manufacture our own, and be able to 
undersell them in their own market. Furnaces amply sup- 
plied with fuel, found on the spot, will soon preclude the ne- 
cessity of sending millions from the States to England every 
year to purchase what this mountain can supply in quantities 
inexhaustible. The Baraboo district, and others not far dis- 
tant from this road, show unmistakeable evidence of lead and 
other ores, which capital and industrial skill must soon con- 
vert to their ultimate uses. 

And, while this road is destined to spread blessings innu- 
merable along its course, it will, in turn, receive its reward, 
by becoming the channel through which the vast treasures it 
will render accessible, and all the business it will create, must 
find an outlet. While it will necessarily draw its natural 
share of business from all the places flanking it on the south, 
districts covering many thousands of square miles to the 
north, must, of necessity, become tributaries to it. Tracing 
on the map the direct route from the east to Grand Haven, 
and thence across to Milwaukee, the La Crosse road must 
become the highway (of European and Eastern travel) to 
Minnesota, the northern parts of Iowa, and all the north-west 
of Wisconsin, giving it a tributary business area, which, in 



OF WISCONSIN. 229 

time, when the country fills np, must make it one of the 
best paying roads in America. 

The Lake Shore road must at all times command a large 
passenger business, as is proved bj'' the vast number that 
passed to and from Milwaukee and Chicago during the years 
1852 and 1853. I took considerable pains to ascertain this 
by all the routes ; namely, by boat, stage, and rail road, via 
Janesville, which last v/as but small ; and the result of my 
inquiry was, that in 1852, 23,005 came to Milwankee, and 
11,483 left it ; and in 1853, 27,640 persons came, and 14:323 
left — making the travel to and from Milwaukee in 1852, 34,- 
488, and in 1853, 41,863. In addition to this number, 7,200 
persons landed at Kenosha in '53, 13,400 at Sheboygan and 
Port Washington, and 11,328 at Green Bay, Twin Rivers 
and Manitowoc. One of the Emigration agents for Wiscon- 
sin states in his report, that " the number arrived in our State 
in 1853, amounts to 79,413," which I consider too high a 
number. However, what I have st.-ted above, which is the 
result of personal examination, is sumcient to show that the 
Lake Shore road has a fair chance of a large share of busi- 
ness, at least in the transmission of ; asscngers. 

The Milwaukee and Horicon Rail Road, passing through 
Waupun, Ripon and Berhn, on the Fox River, will, when 
extended into the pinery, prove a valuable acquisition to a 
vast extent of country, the resources of which it will speedily 
develope. 

The Milwaukee and Watertown Rail Road will open up 
a good country, and raise that thriving town (Watertown) 
to some importance. 

The Rock River Valley Rail Road, which runs south-west 
from Fond du Lac, at the head of Lake Winnebago, through 
Janesville, Woodstock, and Big Foot Prairie, to Chicago, has 



230 INDUSTEIAL RESOURCES 

been all located, and part of it graded and finished. The 
projectors of this road had it in view to cut off the western 
trade from Milwaukee. This attempt, however, will be frus- 
trated by the diiferent roads, which will tap it at different 
points. 

Milwaukee ^.nd Fond du Lac will have a rail road commu- 
nication, which v/ill prove mutually beneficial. By this and 
the route to Green Bay and Oshkosh, strangers in quest of 
land can reach those points from Milwaukee in a fev/ hours, 
where there is still much good land to be disposed of. Theeo 
two roads will be of incalculable benefit to all the towns and 
villages yearly starting into existence in the northern parts 
of the State, as their inhabitants can come at all seasons to 
Milwaukee, which, from its present importance and position, 
must continue to be the great emporium from which all these 
places must be supplied with merchandize. 

Sheboygan and i'ond du Lac will be connected by a rail 
road, otherwise the former port, which has been recently im- 
proved, would be entirely cut ofl' from business. 

Manitowoc must be up and stirring, or else her legitimate 
business will pass by. 

Hacine and Kenosha are securing business by a raihvay 
connection with the country west of them, in addition to the 
advantages conferred by the Lake Shore road. 

The mining districts in the south will advance in value by 
the introduction of rail roads, by which to send off the mineral 
treasures to market. The rising village of Beloit has already 
secured the advantages of a rail road. 

The absence of lofty hills and deep ravines, requiring cut- 
ting or tunnelling, and expensive filling or viaducts, with a 
superabundance of wood for little or nothing, keeps down the 
expense of actual construction in this country, as compared 



OF wiscoNsiir. 231 

with the enormous cost of construction in England or Ireland^ 
where labor is so low. The ^reat item of expense in Amer- 
ica is iron, which, in general, is imported from Great Britain. 
This is unpardonable in a country full of the finest iron ore in 
the world, with abundance of fuel to fashion it into any shape 
that may be required. When shall we see the folly of send- 
ing so many miUions of dollars to England every year to pur- 
chase railway iron when it can be manufactured here to the 
highest perfection 1 And instead of getting a good article 
from England, she sends us the very dregs of her manufac- 
ture. Last year, we imported of rail road iron to the amount 
of more than $8,000,00. Here it costs nothing to procure a 
charter for a rail road — in England or Ireland it sometimes 
costs $10,000 a mile ; here it costs little to obtain the right 
of way — in the old country it sometimes costs thousands; in 
this country the engineering expense is but a trifle — in the old 
country it forms a most important item in the expense. In 
this country, the first outlay is kept as low as possible, con- 
sistent with the bare working capacity of the road. In Wis- 
consin it will not often exceed $20,000 per mile. When a 
rail road here earns the means of improving itself, the im- 
provement is effected — in the old country, the road is con- 
structed in the first instance at a vast expense, but is to last 
foi ever. Most of the roads here have only single tracks, to 
save expense. In a new country, such as this, without much 
capital, the plan we adopt is the wiser of the two, and as 
economy is our guide, why send so much capital abroad when 
we have the means of supplying ourselves at our doors. We 
could supply the whole world with lead, yet we import of that 
article to the amount of onp million and a half of dollars. 



232 INDTTSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Rail Road Accidents. 

In connection with this subject, I might mention a few of 
the chief causes that have led to the loss of life and property 
on our rail roads. In the first place, the want of proper 
fences gives free access to cattle, hogs, and other animals, by 
which life and property are at all times exposed to accidents, 
and frequently sacrificed. It is true that when a road runs 
through a wilderness, far removed from the habitation of 
man, there is little danger to be apprehended, and the expense 
of fencing may be considerable. But though there may be 
an excuse for neglecting to fence such a road, there can be 
none whatever for leaving a road, in the vicinity of a town, or 
even of a locality but thinly inhabited, exposed to the intru- 
sion of man or beast : as such exposure endangers the life, 
not only of the passengers, but of the intruders themselves. 
Dangers arising from this cause ought to be strictly guarded 
against, by erecting proper fences. In the second place, the 
use of flat iron rails has been the frequent cause of fatal ac- 
cidents ; and even rails of the best form, when not properly 
fixed and of sufficient weight and strength, have been often 
the cause of sad disasters, which a weightier article, firmly 
fixed, would have prevented. In the third place, when the 
railroad crosses a public or private road, on the same level, 
danger is to be apprehended. In the old country, no accident 
can arise from this cause, as in all populous districts the roads 
are never allovv^ed to cross each other on the same level, and 
whenever they do, in rural districts, the crossing is well 
guarded, so as to prevent the possibility of a coUision. 

Another cause, which has frequently led to accidents, is the 
unpardonable neglect of a minute and thorough examination, 
by a competent person, of the working condition of the boiler, 
the engine, and the working apparatus of the entire train 



OF WISCONSIN. 233 

before starting. This is a duty that should be strictly attend- 
ed to. But in too many cases, the cause is traced to a palpa- 
ble neglect of the persons in charge of the engine, arising 
often from the pernicious use of intoxicating liquors. Neg- 
lect on the part of the engineer, arising from whatever cause 
it may, should never be overlooked. Want of due caution on 
the part of the engineer, in approaching a stopping-place, has 
frequently been the cause of violent and destructive concus- 
sions, which might have been prevented by timely attention 
to the regulation of the necessary speed. Curves of smallradii 
have contributed their proper share to the catalogue of acci- 
dents of which we so often read. 

Accidents sometimes occur from a neglect on the part of 
the attendant, in arranging the switch so as to allow the train 
to pass from one track to another; Curves on rail roads should 
never, if possible, be so abrupt as to require the train to pass 
over them with any considerable diminution of speed. And, 
as a further precaution, both the curved part and the ap- 
proaches to it should be comparatively high. A curve of a 
quarter of a mile radius is passed with safety at the rate of 
thirty miles an hour. I might point out several precautiona- 
ry measures never thought of in this country, which, if car- 
ried out with the same scrupulous regard to public safety as 
in England, could not fail of saving many valuable lives that 
are now dally exposed to danger under the careless manage- 
ment of engineers and others having charge of the working 
departments of our road. The following comparative state- 
ment of the railway accidents, for one year, in the State of 
New York and England, will show, at once, how much better 
railway business is managed there than here : 

Out of 47,509,392 passengers, conveyed on rail roads in 
England, only 17 were killed ; while out of 7,410,663 pas- 



234 IITDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

sengers carried on the New York rail roads, 162 were killed. 
In England, the chances of being killed on a rail roadwere 
as 1 to 285,017; while, in the United States, the chances 
were as 1 to 45,744, thus showing that the chances of being 
killed in the State of New York are between 6 and 7 times 
as great as in England. When things are so in the State of 
New York, where we have some of the best roads in the 
Union, what must the comparative danger be on other roads, 
not near so well equipped T This is a subject demanding the 
most earnest and speedy attention of the Legislature at Wash- 
ington. 

Very few are aware of the wonderful force with which two 
locomotives, moving in opposite directions, come together, 
if we suppose a special train to move at the rate of 60 miles 
an hour, the common speed on some of the English and 
American rail roads. This is one mile in a minute, or 88 
feet in a second. Now, if we suppose the entire train to 
weigh 35 tons, which are equal to 70,000 pounds, and which, 
moving at the rate of 88 feet per second, gives a momentum 
of 6,160,000 pounds, moving at the rate of one foot per sec- 
ond ; and when two such locomotives meet, moving in op- 
posite directions, the momentum will be twice as great, that 
is, 12,320,000 pounds, moving at the rate of one foot per sec- 
ond of time. The crash occasioned by such a collision will 
just be equal to that produced by 611 cannon balls, each 18 
lbs., shot from a great gun, charged with the usual quantity 
of gun-powder. If we suppose the velocity to be only 30 
miles an hour, which is not considered a high speed, and the 
train to weigh VO tons, the effect produced by a collision with 
another of equal weight would exactly bo equal to the last. 
A collision of two, weighing 140 tons each, and moving at 
the rate of 15 miles an hour, would be equally disastrous, the 
momentum in each case being the same. 



OF WISCONSIN. 235 

Doctor Lardner adopts a most inoenious illustration to ren- 
der familiar the extraordinary velocity with which our express 
trains move : " The Great Western Express, to Exeter, Eng- 
land, travels at the rate of 43 miles an hour, including 
stoppages, or 51 miles an hour, without including stop- 
pages. To attain this rate, ^ speed of 60 miles an hour 
is adopted midway between some of the stations, and, in 
some of the experimental trips, 70 miles an hour is about 
equivalent to about 35 yards per second, or 35 yards between 
two beats of a common clock. All objects near the eye of 
a passenger travelling at this rate, will pass by his eye in the 
thirty-fifth part of a second ; and if 35 stakes were erected at 
the side of the road, a yard asunder, they would not be dis- 
tinguishable one from another ; if painted red, they would 
appear collectively as a continuous flash of red color. If two 
trains with this speed passed each other, the relative velocity 
would be 70 yards per second. If one of the trains were 70 
yards long, it would flash by in one second. Supposing the 
locomotive which draws the train to have driving wheels 7 
feet in diameter, these wheels will revolve 5 times in a sec- 
ond ; the piston moves along the cylinder 10 times in a sec- 
ond ; the valve moves and the steam escapes 10 times in a 
second — but as there are two cylinders, which act alternately, 
there are really twenty puffs, or escapes, of steam in a sec- 
ond. The locomotive can be heard to cough, when re- 
volving slowly, the cough being occasioned by the abrupt 
emission of waste steam up the chimney ; but twenty coughs 
cannot be separated by the ear, their individuality becoming 
lost. Such a locomotive speed is equal nearly to one-fourth 
of that of a cannon-ball, and the momentum of a whole train, 
moving at such speed, would be nearly equivalent to the ag- 
gregate force of a number of cannon-balls equal to one-fourth 
11 



236 Industrial resources 

the weight of the train. That a smash should follow a colh- 
sion,, is no subject of marvel, if such a train, moving at such 
speed — or anything like such speed — should meet with any 
obstacle to its progress." 

Notwithstanding that several accidents happen on railroads, 
occasioned by neghgence, anl other causes over which no 
one has control, yet an inspection of the foregoing accidents 
in England and this country, will satisfy any one doubtful on 
the subject, that less accidents happen by this mode of travel- 
ling than by any other whatever. Single tracks, to spare ex- 
pense, is a source of numerous accidents. 

Rail Roads will supercede all other means of transit,where 

-'■lit '!-..■ , 

speed and a gaving of time are required. The following ta- 
bles will show how far the farmer can afford to carry his pro- 
duce, to market on wheels, and how much cheaper he can 
travel bjr raij, the difference being real profit. The table 
shows, the comparative value of a ton of wheat and one of 
corn at given distances from market, as affected by the cost 
of transportation, by rail road, and over the ordinary roads of 
the country :- — ; 



Corn. 

^24 75 
24 60 
24 45 
24 15 
24 00 
23 85 
23 70 
23 55 
23 40 
23 25 



at market. 


Rail 
Wheat. 


;,^.'ip,^. 


$49 50 


'^'"20! ., "'i 


49 25 


30 


49 20 


40 

^.nfnrroorf 7t;!i;;''j 
60 


, 49 00 
48 50 


,.70 , ,,: ,. 


48 45 


.; ..nYf ^)t iir ijj, <■; 


48 30 


i.-mI-OiIu Oj Il,i 

100 


48 15 
48 00 



Ordinary 
Wheat. 


Highway. 
Corn. 


$49 50 


$24 75 


48 00 


23 26 


46 50 


21 75 


43 50 


18 75 


42 00 


17 25 


40 50 


15 75 


39 00 


14.2,5^ 


37 50 
35 00 


11 25 


34 50 


9 75 





OF 


WISCONSIN. 




iJ37 


Miles 


Rail Road. 


Ordinary 


Highway. 


it market. 


Wheat. 


Corn. 


Wheat. 


Corn. 


■ 110 


$41 85 


$23 00 


$33 00 


$8 27 


120 


47 70 


22 95 


31 50 


6 55 


130 


47 55 


22 80 


30 00 


5 25 


140 


-17 40 


22 65 


28 00 


3 75 


150 


47 25, 


22 50 


27 00 


2 25 


' 160 


47 10 


22 35 


25 50 


75 


170 


46 95 


22 10 


24 00 


00 


180 


46 80 


22 05 


22 50 


00 


190 


46 65 


21 90 


22 00 


00 


200 


46 50 


21 75 


19 50 


00 


210 


46 35 


21 60 


18 00 


00 


220 


46 20 


21 45 


16 50 


00 


230 


46 05 


21 30 


15 00 


00 


240 


45 90 


21 16 


13 50 


00 


250 


45 75 


21 00 


12 00 


00 


260 


45 60 


20 85 


10 40 


00 


270 


45 45 


20 70 


9 00 


00 


230 


45 30 


.20 65 


7 50 


00 


290 


45 15 


20 40 


6 00 


00 


300 


45 00 


20 25 


4 50 


00 


310 


44 85 


20 10 


3 00 


00 


320 


44 70 


19 95 


1 50 


00 


330 


45 55 


18 80 


00 


00 


It may be seen from these tables, that, at the distance of 


170 miles from 


market, the cost of hauling a ton 


of corn that 


distance by the 


common 


roads equals 


the price it will fetch, 


leaving the farmer nothin; 


g, while it will leave ] 


him $22 10 


when brought to market 1 


:he same distance by rail road. A 


ton ol wheat, 330 miles from market. 


is not worth the haul- 



ing bv waggon, but by rail road it will be worth $45 65. 



238 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Thus it appears that the value of land enhances as its dis- 
tance from a rail road diminishes. From this view of the 
case, evorv farmer ought to strain every nerve to bring a rail 
road through the district in which he lives. 

By t)uilding all the roads now chartered, nothing can pre- 
vent or retard the prosperity of the State. Three parties 
have each its respective duties to discharge. The company 
must be punctual in its payment to the contractor, and the 
contractor must be equally so to the working men whom he 
employs ; and in their turn, the laborers must exercise reas- 
onable forbearance towards the contractor, and keep clear of 
combinations, which generally end in their own ruin. The 
conduct of both the company and contractor must inspire 
confidence in the men employed to execute the work, and 
they, in their turn, have no right to raise factious opposition, 
or indulge in unfounded apprehensions. When any of these 
three parties is guilty of a breach of duty towards the other 
two, the public suffer by the conduct of the delinquent party, 
while one, or both of the other two parties, may be utterly 
ruined. 

0(.t (» M(i .; 

00 OC I 



JiJiU in.. . ,.. n-, , 
/. .biiull::-: 



or WISCONSIN. 239 



CHAPTER X 



■'f .fdiroh 
A few years ago, the want of good roads was generally 

felt throughout this State, but this want is now, in many in- 
stances, supphed by good plank roads, which radiate from the 
principal towns to the surrounding districts. These roads ^ 
are generally made at a cost not exceeding ^2000 per mile. 
The plank must be renewed every seven years, and oftener, 
where the travel is considerable. The plank used should be . 
good oak, as any other description of wood is found not to 
answer so well. Pine wears out in three or four years. On- 
ly half the roadway is planked, as when two vehicles mec|tj, ; 
one sides out and allows the other to pass; when one i^^ 
empty, or lightly loaded, it always sides out, and allows the 
loaded vehicle to pass without interruption. 

There are seven plank roads issuing out of Milwaukee ; 
and, indeed, every town and village in the State either has its 
plank roads already constructed, or is preparing to do so. 
Stock invested in plank roads was found to pay well some 
time ago. The charge or toll per mile is moderate, averag- 
ing two cents for a two horse vehicle per mile, and one cent 
for a single horse one. It would be difficult to enumerate all 
the plank roads built, in progress, and in contemplation 
throughout this western country. 

The principal obstruction hitherto opposed to the progress 
of farming in the Western States, has been the roads, which, 
except in summer and frosty weather, and when the ground 
was covered with snow to some depth, were almost impassi- 



240 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

ble. But now, this great want of the farmers and business 
men is, in many places, amply supplied by plank roads. The 
utility and economy of plank roads are now so well under- 
stood and appreciated, that every district is anxious to enjoy 
the advantages of these commodious highways, and I have no 
doubt, before many years, the State will be traversed in 
every direction by these lines of communication. 

Plank roads were first built in Canada, where several hund- 
red miles are in operation. The average cost of construc- 
tion per mile there was $2100, which is small, as compared 
with the cost of Macadamized roads. The system of plank 
roads was introduced into the State of New York about seven 
years ago, where 2160 miles are now registered, at an aver- 
age cost of $1833 per mile. 

Plank roads cost considerably less than roads made of bro- 
ken stones, and are more easily kept in repair. They also 
oppose less resistance to the force of traction. On the Sali- 
na and Central road, in the State of New York, for a wager, 
a team drew, without extraordinary strain, six tons of iron a 
distance of 12 miles, to Syracuse. A team of horses can 
draw, on a plank road, 4^;^. tons, day after day, travelling at 
the rate of from three to four miles an hour. '^ On a newly^ 
constructed Macadamized road, the resistance is very consid- 
erable, and will take some time before it becomes smooth 
and solid. Where the travel is considerable, such a road 
will require repairs every year, whereas a good plank' 
road will last for 6 or 7 years, if oak be employed in 
the construction. A mile of Macadamized road will, at 
least, cost $3,400, besides $200 per annum for repairs. 
The cost of making a plank road averages about $2000, and 
the annual repairs about $7 per mile. I have lately laid out 
a plank road which will not cost this sum, though it has some 



OF WISCONSIN. 241 

heavy cuttings on it. Where saw mills are not convenient, 
a moveable one, worked by steam, generally follows the 
workmen, by which the expense is considerably diminished. 
This plan was adopted on the Sheboygan and Fond du Lac 
plank road, by Mr. McCrea, the banker, of this city, and he 
found it to effect a considerable savings 

A good deal of trouble has been taken to ascertain the com- 
parative efficiency of plank roads, as compared with roads 
made of broken stones ; speed and load being the two ele- 
ments entering into the comparison. These experiments 
have resulted in giving the preponderance in favor of plank 
roads, in the ratio of 2}:^ to 1, to 6 to 1. Farmers now can 
take l^^ cords of wood on a plank road, while on the common 
roads }^ or '^^ of a cord is the usual load. Now, 80 bushels 
of rye and 100 bushels of oats are carried on a plank road, 
while, on the common roads of the country, only 40 and 50 
bushels are carried. On a plank road, all this is effected at 
the rate of four miles an hour, whereas, on a common road, 
the rate of speed is only three miles an hour, at most. 

Some are of opinion that plank roads are injurious to hor- 
ses, but, in reality, " there is nothing to warrant the infer- 
ence. On the contrary, it may be said, without any fear of 
contradiction, that the horse, when not pressed beyond his 
strength, can work longer, and be always in a better condi- 
tion on a plank road than on any road whatsoever." 

It is impossible to overrate the value of plank roads, as 
compared with the common roads of the country. Except in 
summer and when the ground is frozen, or covered with snow, 
it is next to impossible to travel with a load. But on a plank 
road, the farmer can bring his produce to market at any sea- 
son of the year, and thereby take advantage of the market 
when prices are high. No one in the old country can form 



242 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

an idea of the state of the roads in this western world in wet 
weather. And the streets, when not planked, are still worse. 
The mail-coach, on arriving opposite the post-office, in Chi- 
cago, stuck in the mud for some days, and was dragged out 
with much difficulty. The increasing business of that great and 
prosperous city demanded a better state of things, and now, 
carriages innumerable are seen rolling every minute of the 
day over well-constructed plank roads. 

It is almost unnecessary to state that the wear and tear of 
horses, harness and vehicles are considerably reduced by the 
substitution of plank for common roads, besides the saving of 
time, trouble, and annoyance attendant upon mud roads — a 
name not by any means inappropriate when applied to most, 
if not all. the common roads of the country. The saving in 
wear and tear, and in time, is more than sufficient to pay the 
tolls on plank roads, and the balance is in favor of the farmer, 
not to mention numerous other items which these roads place 
to his credit, such as the time and trouble lost in cleaning- 
horses, harness, vehicles, &.c. Plank roads are valuable even 
to a farmer unable t(i keep any description of draught cattle ; 
as the carriage of his little produce wi^ cost much less. 

Every public work in this country is the offspring of sheer 
necessity, and no country in the world is so economical in its 
public expenditure. In opening a new road, it not unfre- 
quently happens that only a bare track is established, by clear- 
ing away the trees and underbrush, which is afterwards im- 
proved when the district finds itself in a position able to afford 
the necessary expense. Everything is done to answer the 
present purpose, and let the future provide for itself. In the 
old country everything is done to last forever, regardless of 
cost ; in this country, the first cost is limited to the bare 
working condition of the work, but is subsequently improved 



OF WISCONSIN. 243 

by its own receipts. This is the common sense course to be 
pursued in a new country where capital is yet limited. 

If we were to build rail roads, plank and common roads 
with as little regard to the first outlay as is manifested in 
England, where a single bridge or tunnel, or a depot, may cost 
more than would be sufficient to construct a long line, in work- 
able condition, in this western country, .we should wait per- 
haps for many years before we had the means to commence. 
When the country is in a condition to afford to combine orna- 
ment with useful effect, I have no objection to do so ; but in 
its present condition, a plain road and a plain bridge, and a 
plain looking depot, or station house, are true signs of wis- 
dom and economy, which here invariably lead to profit and 
ultimate improvement. 

In laying out a plank road intended for a single track, the 
plank is put on the left hand side of the road leading from the 
town or city. The right hand side should be raised a httle 
higher than the planks, by which the adjacent ends are se- 
cured to their places and prevented from shifting. The left 
hand ends of the planks are secured in a similar manner, by 
raising the clay a little higher than the surface of the planks, 
and ramming it quite solid. Before the planks are laid on, 
the surface of the road should be rolled, and the sleepers 
firmly imbedded in the soil, the upper side being level with 
the earth. In laying the planks, care should be taken that 
they lie close together, which can be effected by using 
a heavy maul. The greatest defect I observe in the con- 
struction of our plank roads, is the want of thorough drainage, 
than which nothing could be more injurious. When water 
is allowed to lodge under the planking, it splashes up between 
the joints, as the load passes over it, to the great injury and 
annoyance of the animals and the persons who guide them. 
Besides this injury and annoyance, the plank soon rots under 



244 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

the influence of the sun and water. Nothing can obviate 
this but a close adherence of the planking to the surface of 
the road-stuff, and thorough drainage, which last can be effec- 
ted by giving the road a proper slope from the centre towards 
each side ; and by cutting good side channels, giving them 
also a suflacient fall to carry off the water. This mode of 
planking a city would by no means answer. The planks 
should be firmly nailed to the sleepers. In a town or city, a 
double track is indispensable. Sometimes a single track is 
laid down on each side of the street, and the centre covered 
with the usual road-stuff employed in the locality. This is 
the plan adopted in some of our streets in Milwaukee. In 
Chicago, the planking extends across the street from curb to 
cur'j, all being firmly nailed to the sleepers fixed in the soil, 
and the road having a convexity sufficient to conve}'" off the 
water to either side. This plan is adopted by the present 
surveyor of that improving city. 

The progress of our infant State is indeed truly astonishing. 
Besides the foregoing list of rail and plank roads already made 
and projected, all our towns are connected by telegraph vrires, 
which enable us to communicate intelhgeiice to every part 
of the States and Canada. "Vfe have in Wisconsin two com- 
peting lines of telegraph, both communicating with the East- 
ern States and Canada. The length of one lirie within the 
State of Wisconsin is only forty miles, and communicates in- 
telligence from Milwaukee to the following places, viz : Oak 
Creek, Racine, Kenosha, and, by Illinois, to Mineral Point. 
The length of the second line is betweerf' 'ix and seven hund- 
red miles within the State, and communicates intelligence 
from Milwaukee to tlie following places, viz: Port Washing- 
ton, Sheboygan, Sheboygan Falls, Green Bush, Fond du Lac, 
Oshkosh, Neenali, Menasha, Appleton, Green Bay, White- 
water, Janesville, Beloit, Jefferson, Lake Mills, Madison, 



OF WISCONSIN. 245 

Dodgeville, Mineral Point, Shullsburg, Hazle Green, Sauk 
Prairie, Baraboo, and Fort Winnebago, besides other places 
of little importance. 

This is a department of practical science that has done 
wonders in Europe, forming it into one family circle. Eng- 
land and Scotland, though surrounded by water, are now con- 
nected with the Continent by an electric wire coiled into a 
rope, which is enveloped in a gutta percha tube, to protect it 
from the corroding effects of the sea-water, in which it is sub- 
merged. Now, all the potentates of Europe can make their 
friendly enquiries after the little Queen's health every morning 
before breakfast ; and her Queenship can reciprocate their 
friendly offices while taking her tea and toast. When this 
hasty messenger shall have been stretched under the Irish 
Channel, a project that will be soon carried into execution, 
the premier of England can dictate his commands across the 
channel every morning, to keep the " Wild Irish " in check 
during the da}'-. 

No country in the world can compete with America in the 
extent of her lines of telegraph, which, if laid continuously, 
would exceed by more than four thousand miles the distance 
from pole to pole ; and we have provided apparatus of trans- 
mission by which a message of three hundred words, dis- 
patched under such circumstances from the south pole, might 
be delivered in writing in one minute of time at the north 
pole, and by which an answer might be received back in an 
equally quick time. The ocean itself cannot restrain the on- 
ward progress of Anerican enterprize. A Mr. Ileynolds, of 
New York, propostjs to construct a telegraph communication 
across the Atlantic, at a cost not excee4ing ^3,000,000. He 
thinks the plan perfectly practicable and safe. He estimates 
the distance of a cape above Halifax, on the American coast, 



246 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

from the nearest point of Ireland, near Galway, to be but 
1600 miles along the banks of Newfoundland, which are 
known to extend within 160 miles of the coast of Ireland, at 
an average depth of eight hundred feet. A line of this length, 
consisting of four wires, perfectly insulated in gutta percha, 
of the size proposed, would last for ages, as the insulating 
substance is almost indestructable under \vater, and has a 
strength not much inferior to iron. Such a line, he esti- 
mates, would weigh about 10,000 tons, and would require 
about 1500 iron anchors. This is a bold project ; but in these 
days of invention and progress, what can be pronounced too 
bold an undertaking ] What would Dr. Franklin, the father 
of electricity, say, if he but knew what wonders this child of 
his creation had wrought in the world I 

There is no country that 1 know of where skilled and un- 
skilled labor are so much on a par, as regards wages, as in 
America ; arising partly from the practice of attempting to do 
every handy-craft work without any previous training, and 
partly from the vast amount of manual labor to be done in 
the country, requiring physical strength. The circumstances 
of every country regulate the wages of skilled as well as of 
unskilled labor. In Ireland, unskilled labor is very inade- 
quately rewarded, while professional skill is highly rewarded. 
This arises partly from the vast amount of labor in the mar- 
ket, as compared with the hmited demand. No one feels 
more the justice of paying well for labor than I do, and as 
there is no country in the world where such high wages are 
paid for unskilled labor as in the Western States, there is no 
country where less reason exists for those strikes for higlier 
wages, which we so frequently read of, among persons em- 
ployed on public works. Convinced that freedom of action 
and freedom of labor are essential to industrial progress, I re- 



OP WISCONSIN. 247 

gret to read of frequent recurrences of strikes among laborers 
on the canals and rail roads in the States of New York, Illi- 
nois, Canada, and elsewhere. Such conduct is destructive 
to the interests of the employers and the employed. Every 
man, no doubt, has a perfect right to set upon his labor what- 
ever value he thinks proper ; his labor is his own property, 
and therefore has a right to demand as much for it as he 
pleases, and should he not obtain what he demands, he has a 
perfect right to refuse a lower offer, and remain idle ; but he 
has no right to control others. If others think proper to offer 
their labor for half what he demands for his, they have a per- 
fect right to do so, and he has no right whatever to control 
them. As well as he has a right to demand a certain sum 
for his labor, so has the employer an equal right to refuse to 
pay it if he thinks it is not his interest to do so. This is just 
the relation that exists between the employer and the work- 
ing man. The Employer, of course, must have a profit on the 
labor of the working man, for which he ought to feel pleased; 
and the wages agreed upon between the contracting parties 
ought to be received by the workmen with thankfulness, as 
that is his profit upon the contract. 

The history of industrial labor in America is full of revolt- 
ing scenes, riots and bloodshed among laborers, which are 
really disgraceful, and equally destructive to the best irterests 
of all concerned. A short time ago, a strike took place in 
England, which entailed a loss upon workmen and employ- 
ers amounting to $1,000,000. The men held out for seven 
weeks, and not being able to bear up against the evils of 
idleness any longer, they submitted, and, after having exhaust- 
ed all their funds, returned to their former employment, 
which, in almost every instance, is the practice. Though the 
employer is injured perhaps to a large extent, yet his wealth 



248 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

can bear it, and he ultimately starves the poor workmen into 
submission. The general prQgress of legitimate iudustry op- 
poses these disorderly strikes. If an employer shows a dis- 
position to cut down wages below a level incompatible with 
the welPjLing of those he employs, seeking only his own 
private interest, they have a right to meet and remonstrate, 
but not to command or control, or coerce, public opinion, and 
the rules which govern the trade will bring him to a sense of 
his duty ; otherwise the workmen had better look out for a 
kinder employer, and he must sink under his own inconsid-j 
erate conduct. I never knew an employer to succeed who 
had no sympathy for those he employed, nor do I recollect to 
have seen the ring-leader in a strike overburthened with a 
stock of common sense, or persevering industry. A mutual 
feeling of good will should subsist between the employer and 
the employed. They should hove no separate interest. They 
ought to form but one joint stock company, the capital inves- 
ted by the employer being cash, and that of the employed la- 
bor — which is the source of all wealth. 

The working tailors of Milwaukee struck last year for 
iiigher wages, and after walking about idle for some time, 
they returned to their work. I do not pretend to say which 
party was in fault ; but I would say that an increase in rents 
and the price of provisions ought to induce the employer, of 
his own accord, to increase the wages of the workman, if the 
profits of his business could at all afford it. ]n times of un- 
usual scarcity, the employer should and ought to increase the 
wages, so as to keep the working man and his family from 
actual want, regardless of his usual profits. But as the real 
friend of the working man, I would recommend to regulate 
the price of labor by mutual consent of both parties. In no 
case would I recommend a strike, as the experience of ages 



OF WISCONSIN. 249 

proves that it is destructive to both parties. In ordinary 
times the demand and supply ought to regulate the price of 
labor like every other saleable article. By demanding too 
high a price for labor, the employer has only two alterna- 
tives — either to stop work altogether, or remove to another 
place, by which those who subsist by labor must either starve 
or seek for employment elsewhere. This is an unpopular 
subject, but my anxiety to serve the working man induces 
me, even at the risk of rendering myself unpopular, to give 
an advice which I am confident is for his good. 

I cannot dismiss this subject without alluding to another 
subject, equally foolish. I mean those factious fights that 
take place on the public works of this country and Canada, 
between Irishmen, and those without any cause more than 
that one party were born in the south, and the other in the 
north of Ireland — because a river, or mountain, or perhaps a 
road separates them — because one man calls himself a Cork- 
onian, and another a Fardowner. Scarcely a week passes 
without a notice of some fooHsh exhibition, often requiring 
the interference of the military to prevent loss of life and 
hmb, which is frequently the result of these quarrels, grow- 
ing out of mere names having no reference to any real occur- 
rence on which to found a cause of quarrel. When will the 
common sense of Irishmen point out the folly and disgrace of 
such ridiculous conduct ? 

It is rather singular how labor divides itself among the pop- 
ulation of America,which is composed of native Americans and 
the natives of every country in Europe. The Germans and Irish 
make good farmers, and when once settled down, it requires 
strong inducements to tempt them to remove ; but an Ameri- 
can is such a locomotive, from an instinctive love of travelling 
about, that the smallest inducement held out to him at the most 



m 



INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



distant point of the Union, will be sufficient to set him out on 
his journey at the shortest notice. Most of the Americans 
devote themselves to trade or commerce of some kind—they 
seldom work at hard labor. In towns and suburbs, the Ger- 
mans saw up wood and raise garden vegetables ; the Irish 
grade the streets, carry the hod, repair and build roads, and 
perform all such works as require the use of the spade and 
shovel ; the working American brings the axe into requisi- 
tion, which he wields with a dexterity pecuUarly his own ; and 
the poor colored man confines himself almost exclusively to 
the razor and white-wash brush — he also attends table and 
acts as steward on board of vessels. 

I have before intimated that labor brings a higher price 
here than in any part of the known world, while in Ireland 
it brings less. Therefore, as long as this great disparity 
continues to exist, so long will emigration continue to flow 
from that country to this. This inducement, apart from the 
low price of land here, as compared with the high price there, 
will induce farmers to seek permanent homes in this country, 
in preference to remain where they never could expect to 
have a permanent interest in the soil, be'ing always doomed 
to work and toil for others, as mere tenants at will. 

But while these inducements are amply sufficient to war- 
rant the farmer, the laborer, and the mechanic to come and 
settle on the broad fields of America, I would emphatically 
say that this country holds out no inducement whatever to 
any other class not amply supplied with capital. One hav- 
ing money can realize more by it here than in England or 
Ireland, whether he lays it out at interest or puts it into busi- 
ness. , But, to prevent disappointment to respectable persons 
seeking employment as clerks, teachers, engineers, lawyers, 
or the hke, it is my duty to tell them that they had better re- 



8:i:v , -'.r,-:^ 

or wiscoNSiK. 251 

main at home. Every working man will improve his condi- 
tion by leaving Ireland and coming here. The Irish laborer 
is well adapted to the laborious work of this country. When 
he is well fed on good American fare, he proves himself to 
possess a greater share of animal power than perhaps any 
other foreigner to be met with here, which is an additional 
proof of Professor Forbes' observations respecting the relative 
strength of natives of different countries in Europe. 

Professor Quetelet tried experiments in the University of 
Brussels, to ascertain the relative strength of the students, 
as indicated by pulling out the stem of a spring of a dynamo- 
meter : 

Average height, Aver, weight, A v. strength. 

inches. lbs. lbs. 

^.fenghsh, 68 W 151 403 

'"^"^ Scotch, 69 152\; 423 

""'^irish, 70 155 432 

'""Belgians, 68 150 339 

In corroberation of the above, an eminent engineer in Lon- 
don had occasion to ascertain the relative animal powers of 
Epglish and Irish laborers in raising weights by means of 
a crane, and he found that the utmost efibrt of a man lifting 
.at the rate of one foot per minute, ranged as follows : 
Enghshmen, from 11,505 lbs. to 24,255 lbs. 
Irishmen, " 17,325 " " 27,562 " 

Welshmen, 11,112 " as utmost effort. 

These results prove that where only mere animal power is 
required, no one can be found to surpass, or indeed equal, an 
Irishman. 

mi • 

^•^y^s connected with the subject of labor, I might mention 
that uneducated brute force can effect but little, as compared 
with the same amount of power under the guidance of scien- 



^62 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

tific skill. Unacquainted u ith the strength of materials : the 
properties of the arch : the laws of gravity ; the properties of 
hght, magnetism, electricity, and of fire,, air and water, in all 
their modified forms, how could the engineer achieve all the 
wonders which are multiplying around us every day J A 
knowledge of Hydrostatics and mechanics enabled Stephenson 
to lift the monster tubular bridge to where it now lies, con- 
necting the Isle of Anglesea with tlie principahty of Wales. 
Unassisted by the scientific agencies employed by that great 
man, this is an achievement that could not have been effected 
by the joint brute force of all the human race now li\'ing. 
All the joint efforts of a nation could effect but a fraction of 
what is performed by the engines employed in the drainage 
of the mines of Cornwall. All the wonders that we see mul- 
tiplying around us every day are the results of force guided 
by scientific skill. Instance the suspension bridge crossing 
the far-famed Falls of Niagara, over which the traveller rides 
or walks in giddy security. I could multiply instances innu- 
merable to show that everything great is the result of educa- 
ted labor, and that no work of magnitude was ever the re- 
sult of brute force, unassisted by scientific skill. Hence the 
necessity of a scientific education — an education of every day 
use. This education will economize animal force, by the sub- 
stitution of machinery, which works under the guidance of 
mind, dispensing almost altogether with brute force. 

We have illustrations of this fact in Milwaukee. Wm. 
Hawkins, of Milwaukee, has invented a stave machine, which 
makes from 5000 to 8000 staves in ten hours. It takes a 
rough stave, as it comes to market, planes it, hollows it into 
shape, levels the edges, makes the grooves for the head, and 
turns it out complete, ready to be set up in a barrel. We 
have, in 3Iiliraukee, a tub manufactory — seven men are em- 



OF WISCONSIN. 258 

ployed to attend the machinery, and these seven men, by 
the assistance of machinen*, complete four hundred tubs in 
ten working hours, with handles and hoops, and perfectly 
polished. Unassisted by the use of this simple machinery, 
all the coopers in England could not turn out a tub made 
with the same degree of mathematical accuracy, as any one 
of these. This is not the result of brute force, but of mind. 
A rocking-chair is manufactured in Boston, beautiful in 
appearance, strong and permanent in all its parts, well 
painted, ornamented and varnished, and sold for the small 
sum of S5,00 — all the result of machinery — the creation of 
mind, the child of necessity, and the consequence of dear 
labor. In England, such a chair could not be sold for $10 
so as to give the maker a fair profit, and the journeyman fair 
wages. The substitution of wooden pegs, made by machin- 
ery^, for the thread, effects a saving of time and labor to the 
shoemaker, which enables him to sell shoes and boots at low 
prices. Window shades and doors made by machinery are 
sold here at a price so low as to enable the poorest man to 
enjoy the light of heaven and keep out the cold. Waggon 
and carriage wheels are made here with great dexterity ; the 
farmers have wooden axletrees, which bear a weight varying 
irom one to three tons. 3Iany of the four-wheel carriages 
have wooden axles, made of hickory, which lasts for a long 
time. The farmer furnishes his ample waggon with springs 
made of the same material. Everything, almost, in common 
use here, is characterized by expedition and cheapness. Econ- 
omy of labor is carried into every department of industry, 
even to the very scrubbing of the floor. 

It would be well if many of these contrivances and the 
general mode of using them here were adopted in the old 
country. The gearing of the saw mills here ii rery ample 

12 



254 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

and effective. The work done is great, as compared with 
the work of a saw mill in any part of Europe. The imple- 
ments of husbandry are light, and exceedingly well suited to 
their respective uses. I do not like the dumpy plough, but 
no other could be used among the stumps. The very axe 
and its handle are indicative of contrivance and adaptation. 
In some of the tailoring establishments, machinery is used to 
sew the garments, which duty it accomphshes with unerring 
accuracy. A good frame or log house is erected in this 
country with a degree of expedition of which few in the old 
country have an idea. The architectural style is rather hand- 
some, and well suited to the climate and the existing condi- 
tion of the country where nothing is made with a view to 
permanency — economy of time, labor and expense, govern- 
ing every operation. Few of the houses in this country have 
fire-places, the stove having almost banished them altogether. 
I consider the American stove, fed to fullness with dry hick- 
ory or maple, and confined in a room without a breath of ven- 
tilation, to be the greatest enemy to man, cat or dog confined 
with it, that can be imagined. The American, however, is 
far from being of this opinion. 

Returning again to the subject of improvement in machin- 
ery, with a view to shorten labor, I might observe that the 
patent laws of America are favorable to the progress of me- 
chanical invention. The exorbitant price of manual labor 
sets every one, who has to pay for work, a-going to invent 
cheaper modes, by the introduction of machinery ; and the 
small sum it costs to secure the right of any invention, by 
patent, is an additional stimulus to mental exertion. Thous- 
ands of useful inventions are lost to the world in consequence 
of the unreasonable sums demanded by the laws of England 
for securing to the inventor his right by patent. Nothing 



OF WISCONsfN. 255 

could be more unreasonable than to tax a man with a view to 
prevent others to appropriate his property to their use. The 
law which protects any other description of property should 
extend to mechanical inventions and copyright. The patent 
laws of England have a direct tendency to check the progress 
of improvement, by taxing inventive genius so heavily as to 
render it impossible in most cases for the individual to pay 
the sum demanded to secure his right. But in America, a 
wiser policy is pursued. The small sum demanded to secure 
to the inventor the profits arising from his inventions, indu- 
ces every one to secure his right even in the most trifling ar- 
ticle which bears testimony to his ingenuity. This accessi- 
ble privilege has the happy effect of accomphshing an amount 
of labor which otherwise, under the existing conditions of the 
country, would be impossible. The scarcity of hands and 
the consequent high price of labor demand that the law should 
protect mechanical inventions in this country ; as, without 
these mechanical contrivances in small matters of every day 
use, the price of labor would bear, by far, too high a proper- 
tion to the profits of the employer. Indeed, at present, the 
price of labor is not warranted by the scale of profits in many 
branches of industrial pursuits. The price paid for labor by 
the farmer some time ago was more than he could afford; but 
the influx of labor from the old country will remedy this in 
due time. In a settled state of society, nothing is more to be 
desired than to see the masses receiving high wages and eat 
cheap food, but in a new country like this, composed, as it is, 
of persons without much capital, the use of machinery to work 
and cheapen labor is indispensable. We, therefore, ought to 
look upon the influx of foreign labor, not as an intrusion, but 
as a boon. In the same light should we view the introduc- 
tion amongst us of men of science, and literature, and art, and 
invention. 



256 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

The Commissioners of Emigration have made their annual 
report, from which may be collected the following facts* 
namely : That the increase at New York over 1850 is 
large. The aggregate for the last three years is 721,000. 
Of these, more than one-half were from Ireland, viz : 392,- 
389 ; 170,971 from Germany ; 84,999 from England, and 
76,522 from 26 other nations and governments. While the 
emigration from Ireland increased from 112,591, in 1849, to 
162,256, in 1851, and that from Germany increased from 35,- 
402, in 1850, to 63,883, in 1851, the numbers from England 
stand unchanged, being a Httle rising, 28,000 for three succes- 
sive years. 

Nativity. 
Born in Wisconsin, 63,015 

" others of the U. States, 134,897 

" England, 18,952 

" Ireland, 27,043 

Scotland and Wales, 7,846 

" British America, 8,277 

" Germany, 34,519 

" France,' 775 

*' other countries, 15,283 

Deaf and dumb in Wisconsin, 85 

Blind, 50 

Insane, 48 

Idiotic, 77 

Only 666 received aid from the public funds during the 
year 1850, and only 238 were receiving aid on the 1st June, 
1850, in all the State of Wisconsin, and these, no doubt, 
were aged persons, or were sick or disabled. 

Most of these made their way to the west by one or other 
of the four great routes which are now open from the eastern 
cities. 



OF WISCONSIK. 357 

Among the papers issued from the departments at Wash- 
ington, is one which embodies a large amount of statistics, 
giving a tolerable idea of our own resources, and of the growth 
of this great Republic. Of the free inhabitants of the United 
States, 17,736,792 are natives of its soil, and 2,210,898 were 
born in foreign countries, while the nativity of 39,227 could 
not be determined. 1,965,518 of the whole number of for- 
eign born inhabitants were residents of the free states, and 
145,310 of the slave states. From these numbers it appears 
that the population of foreign birth forms 11,06 percent, of 
the whole free population. The principal countries that con- 
tributed to the increase of our population, are — 



ives 


of Ireland, (in 1850,) 


961,719 


<( 


Germany, 


573,225 


« 


England, 


278,675 


ti 


British America, 


147,700 


(C 


Scotland, 


70,550 


<( 


France, 


54,069 


« 


Wales, 


29,868 


ii 


All other countries, 


95,022 



Total, 2,210,898 

The proportion in which the several countries above named 
have contributed to the aggregate immigrant population is as 
follows : 

Per cent. 
Ireland, 43.04 

Germany, 25.09 

England, 12.09 

British America, 3.68 

Scotland, 3.17 

France, 2.44 

Wales, 1.34 

Miscellaneous, 4.47 



268 IRDUSTEIAL EESODRCES 

Out of 17,736,792 free inhabitants, 4,112,433 have migra- 
ted and settled beyond the States of their birth. Virginia 
has sent out 333,000 emigrants. North Carohna 261,575, 
South Carohna 163,000, Vermont and Connecticut have sent 
out 25 per cent, of their whole population. 

This table shows that the Irish population in the States is 
nearly double the German population ; and that the German 
population is about double the Enghsh population ; that Brit- 
ish America and Scotland give us equal numbers ; that Wales 
gives us least of all ; and lastly, that France sends twice as 
many as Wales. 

The above numbers represent inversely the social and po- 
litical condition of the countries opposite which they stand. 
The late famine in Ireland contributed in no small degree to 
the numbers from that country added of late years to our 
American population. 

Mutes. — The total number of deaf and dumb in the United 
States, in 1850, was 9,717, of whom 5,027 were free white 
males, 4,058 do females, 276 male slaves, and 213 female do. 
Blind. — Total number 9,702, ol whom 4,519 were free 
white males, 3,478 do females, 239 free colored males, 256 
do females ; 562 male slaves, 649 female do. In this table 
it may be seen that the mutes are equal in number to the 
bhnd ; but it does not follow that as many are born blind as 
deaf and dumb ; as very few lose their speech in after life, as 
compared with the many that are deprived of sight. 

It is due to the institutions of the country that the labor of 
80 many ot its population is not entirely lost, as even the 
blind are taught to work at some suitable trade, and learn to 
read by means of an alphabet invented for that purpose. As 
to the mutes, they are taught to read and write, and work at 
almost every trade. 



OF WISCONSIN, aM. 

The proportion of blind and insane is much greater among 
the foreign, than among the native, population. 

Insane and Idiotic. — The number of insane persons in the 
United States is given at 15,768, of whom 15,156 are whites, 
321 free colored, and 291 slaves. The number of idiots re- 
turned is 15,706, of whom 14,230 are whites, 436 free col- 
ored, and 1,040 slaves. Total whites, 29,386 ; total blacks, 
2,088. The returns make it appear, that, with the whole 
population of the United States, there exists one insane per- 
son for each 1,290 individuals ; among the free colored, one 
to each 1,338 individuals ; and among the slaves, one to each 
11,010. With respect to idiotcy, the white population pre- 
sents one to each 1,374 persons ; the free colored one in ev- 
ery 895 ; and among the slaves, one in each 3,080. It is 
rather curious that the number of insane persons in the States 
is nearly equal to the number of idiots. 

Educational. — The general desire manifested by the entire 
population to learn the rudiments of education, at least, is / 
proved by the fact that 4,000,000 of free youth are receiving 
instructions in the educational institutions of the country on 
the 1st of June, 1850. This last statistical item is sufficient 
to account for the prosperity of the country. 

Pauperism. — At the last mentioned date, only 50,363 per- 
sons were receiving aid from pubhc funds. Of these 36,918 
were natives, and 13,437 foreigners; at an annual expense 
of ^2,954,806. Compare this with the expense of the poor 
in Great Britain, in 1848, which amounted to the enormous 
sum of $42,750,000. I have not been able to ascertain what 
number of these paupers are confined to the large cities of 
New York, Boston, Philadelphia, &,c., where newly arrived 
immigrants are found destitute and sick, on landing. Impro- 
vidence and dissipation are generally confined to large cities. 



260 INDUSTRIAL RESOUHCES 

which will always continue to be the haunts of the idle, and 
the profligate. These swell the amount of pauperism, and 
will continue to do so as long as society is constituted as at 
present. No able-bodied person, man or woman, willing to 
work, has occasion to be a burthen on the public in this 
country. Compare the above number with the paupers of a 
single county in Ireland. 

Crime. — The whole number of persons convicted of crime 
in the year ending June 1st, 1850, was 27,000, of whom 13,- 
000 were natives, and 14,000 foreigners. The whole number 
in prison was 6,700. 

From the report of the State department it appears that 
during that year 315,333 immigrants arrived in the United 
States, but, having land enough in that year to give eveiy 
individual man, woman and child 113 acres of land, it fol- 
lows that we can accommodate many millions of strangers 
still with land, amply sufficient for their use. 

It may be interesting to persons coming to America to 
know the sanitary state of Wisconsin, as compared with 
other States. In the year 1850, the number of deaths in 
Wisconsin was 2,884, which was 1 to every 106 of the pop- 
ulation, while in the State of Maine the ratio of the deaths 
to the living was as 1 to 77 1-3. The rate of increase of the 
population in Wisconsin was 890.48, while in the State of 
Maine it was only 16,22 per cent. The health of our State 
will appear still more striking when compared with Massa- 
chusetts, where the ratio of the deaths to the living was as 
one to every 51.23 ; while the rate of increase was scarcely 
35 per cent., our rate of increase, as compared with Ver- 
mont, is very striking, there it amounted to only 1% per cent. 

Churches. — There were at the last date 36,251 churches of 
all denominations in the United States. That number not 



OF WISCONSIN. 261 

including- halls, school houses, &c., used by congregations 
in thinly inhabited parts of the country. There is one church 
for every 647 of the entire population. Each church, on an 
average, is capable of containing 384 persons, and the aver- 
age value is ^2,400. 

It is really astonishing, the celerity with which churches of 
various denominations start up in this country. To-day you 
behold a wilderness, to-morrow you see a few dwellings, be- 
neath two or three stately spires, which invariably surmount 
all the churches. For here there is no law prohibiting a 
steeple to point out the locality of the church, and announce 
by the sound of its bell, the approaching hour of divine wor- 
ship. 

The following table exhibits very interesting information 
as regards the different churches in the United States : 



Denominations. 


No. of Churches. Seats. 


Valuation. 


Baptist, 


8,791 


3,130,878 


^10,931,382 


Christian, 


812 


296,000 


845,870 


Congregational, 


1,674 


795,177 


7,973,962 


Dutch Reformed, 


324 


181,936 


4,096,730 


Episcopal, 


1.422 


625,213 


11,261,970 


Free, 


361 


108,905 


252,265 


Friends, 


714 


282,823 


1,709,867 


German Reformed, 


327 


156,632 


965,880 


Jewish, 


31 


16,575 


371,600 


Lutheran, 


1,203 


631,100 


2,867,886 


Menonite, 


110 


29,900 


94,245 


Methodist, 


12,467 


4,209,333 


14,636,671 


Moravian, 


331 


112,185 


443,347 


Presbyterian, 


4,584 


2,040,316 


14,369,889 


Roman Cathohc, 


1,112 


620,950 


8,973,838 


Swedenborgian, 


15 


5,070 


108,100 



262 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



Denominations. 


No. of Churches. 


Seats. 


Valuation. 


Tunker, 


62 




35,075 


846,025 


Union, 


619 




213,552 


690,065 


Unitarians, 


243 




135,397 


3,268,122 


Universalist, 


494 




205,462 


1,767,015 


Minor sects, 


325 




115,347 


741,980 




36,011 


13,849,896 


^86,416,639 



The Potosi Republican contains the following statistical 
information relative to the religious denominations in this 
State, and in the entire Union, in 1850 : 
In Wisconsin. 





Ministers. 


Members. 


Catholics, 


64 


65,000 


Methodists, 


100 travel'g, 


7,947 


do. 


207 


2,285 pr.b. 


Con. Pres. As., 


98 


5,048 


Baptists, 


53 


3,451 


Episcopal, 


25 


1,356 


O. S. Presbyterians, 


24 


662 


In the United States. 






Ministers. 


Members, 


Catholics, 


1,109 


1,233,350 


Methodists, N. and S., 


6,372 travel'g, 


1,218,172 


do., 


9,401 local. 


93,785 pr.b. 


O. S. Presbyterians, 


2,027 


210,306 


N. S. do., 


1,596 


140,000 


Congregational, 


1,687 


197,196 


Baptist, 


5,142 


715,737 


Episcopal, 


1,558 


80,000 


Lutheran, 


653 


200,000 


United Brethren, 


503 


67,000 



Of wiscoNSiir. 86S 

The above table may approximate the truth, but I do not 
vouch for its accuracy. Besides these, there are numerous 
other sects, such as Universalists, Swedenborgians, Painites, 
Freethinkers, besides several others who belong to no reli- 
gious sect whatever. I have seen but few Quakers. 

Catholic Diocese of Milwaukee — Rt. Rev'd J. M. Henni, 
D.D., Bishop. — In this diocese there are 113 churches, 7 
private chapels, 25 in course of construction, 59 missionary 
churches, 69 clergymen, 1 ecclesiastical seminary, 1 college, 
5 religious communities, 6 female academies, 4 charitable 
institutions, and a Catholic population of 90,000. 

Milwaukee city has 6 Catholic churches, Milwaukee coun- 
ty 11, Racine county 5, Kenosha county 5, Waukesha coun- 
ty 9, Ozaukee county 8, Washington county 10, Jeiferson 
county 3, Dodge county 6, Walworth county 3, Rock coun. 
ty 3, Dane county 3, Iowa county 4, Lafayette county 4, 
Grant county 6, Crawford county 3, Marquette county 1, 
Columbia county 2, Fond du Lac county 6, Calumet county 
2, Sheboygan county 4, Manitowoc county 5, Brown county 
2, Winnebago county 2, Outagamie county 1. Besides these, 
there are several missionary stations. 

Ecclesiastical and Literary Institutions. — Seminary of St. 
Francis, Jefferson street, Milwaukee ; St. Norbert's Premon- 
strant Convent, near Prairie du Sac ; Sinsinawa Mound Do- 
minican Convent, J. T. Jarbee, O. P., Prior Sinsinawa Col- 
lege — this has high claims on the public patronage ; Convent 
of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Knapp st., Milwaukee ; 
Convent of the Sisters of St. Bridget, Kenosha ; Academy 
of St. Mary of the Holy Angels, for young ladies, Milwau- 
kee ; St. Joseph's Female School, Milwaukee ; St. Mark's Day 
School, Kenosha ; Sinsinawa Female Academy ; St. Ceciha's 
Day School, Dotyville, Fond du Lac Co., Holy Cross Day 



264 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

School, Ozaukee Co.; St. Joseph's Free School, Milwaukee ; 
St. Joseph's Female Free School, Milwaukee ; St. John's Fe- 
male School, Milwaukee. 

Charitable Institutions. — St. John's Infirmary ; House of 
the Third Order of St. Francis Assisium, Nojoshong ; St. 
Aemilian's Orphan Asylum, Milwaukee ; St. Rosa's Orphan 
Asylum, Milwaukee. Benevolent Associations: — St. Sale- 
sius, St. Aemilian, St. Rose's, Ladies' Seminary, St. Jo- 
seph's School, St. John's Young Men's, Holy Rosary, The 
Archconfraternity of the Sacred Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

The Catholics have church property of the amount of 9,- 
000,000, and all the other denominations have only ^27,- 
416,730. 

Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin — Rt. Rev'd J. Kemper, D. 
D., Bishop, whose residence is at Delafield, Waukesha Co. 
The Protestant Episcopal clergymen connected with this di- 
ocess reside in the following places : Delafield, Milwaukee, 
Waukesha, Lisbon, Green Lake, Dartford, Green Bay, She- 
boygan, Racine, Kenosha, Duck Creek, Watertown, Beloit, 
Fox Lake, Delavan, Janesville, Toland's Prairie, Fond du 
Lac, Grant Co., Madison. 

Besides the above, there are several missionary stations. 
The number of Episcopalians in the State is estimated at 
1,356. 

From the minutes of the Presbyterian and Congregational 
Convention, published in 1854, it appears that there were 
then connected with the convention "about 113 churches, 
100 ministers, and 4,000 members." 



OF WISCONSIN. 265 



CHAPTER XI. 



From all the facts stated in the foregoing pages, and from 
the temperature, as indicated by the thermometer in different 
parts of the State, we can draw inferences indicati^ 8 of what 
the climate may be in the course of time, under altered cir- 
cumstances, as well as describe its present condition. The 
chief modifier of climate, and the agencies that exercise the 
greatest influence, are evaporation and condensation of water, 
whose influence is felt in Wisconsin to a very high degree. 
The heavy dews, peculiar to the lake districts, tend to equal- 
ize the temperature of the nights, so that the cold mornings, 
so common in the Middle and Western States, (far removed 
from large bodies of water,) during the summer months, are 
unknown in the lake districts, the amount of caloric evolved 
in condensing the vapor exhaled in the early parts of the 
night, rendering the mornings mild and pleasant. Clouds and 
mists modify the climate considerably, obstructing, as they 
do, the caloric radiated from the surface during the night, and 
reflecting it back to the earth. Clouds and mists prevail in 
the neighborhood of large bodies of water more than in dry 
localities, where caloric is radiated, during the night, into 
space, unobstructed by clouds, to reflect any part of it back, and 
causing cool mornings in summer. Hence we see why the 
temperature of the lake region is modified in winter by the 
cloudy state of the atmosphere, which in summer tends to ob- 



266 nrrtJSTBiAt re»ource» 

struct the passage of the sun's rays, and thereby keep the 
atmosphere cool. In the process of freezing water, a great 
quantity of heat is evolved, and while employed in the pro- 
cess of melting ice, a vast quantity remains latent : therefore, 
we are no': surprised that our great lakes tend to modify the 
range of the thermometer, lessening the cold in winter, and 
the heat in summer. This is illustrated by a reference to 
the mean temperature at Fort Howard, on Green Bay, and 
Fort Snelling, on the Mississippi : 

Latitude. MainT. Wint'r. Sum'r. Range of Ther. 

deg. min (leg. min. deg. tnin. deg. min. deg. deg. 

Fort Howard, 40.40 44.3 20.5 67.7—16 f 99 
Fort Snelling, 44.53 44.8 16.3 72.0 — 23 f 116 

This table shows that during the winter the mean temper- 
ature of Fort Howard is higher than at Fort Snelling, but 
that during the summer it is lower, showing that the prox- 
imity of the large lakes equalizes the temperature while, at a 
distance from sach collections, the extremes of heat and cold 
are more distant, but the annual temperature is nearly the 
same. Latitude has less influence on climate than is gener- 
ally supposed ; for instance, the mean temperature of Fort 
Brady is nearly two degrees lower than that at Fort Wil- 
liams, though the latter post is nearly one degree farther 
north. The difference arises from the fact that Keweenaw 
Point is bounded on three sides by water. On account of the 
insular position of Ireland, the extremes of heat and cold are 
not felt. 

Though parts of Ireland are much farther north than parts 
of France, yet the winter in the former country is not near 
60 cold as in the latter, nor the summer so warm. The in- 
fluence exercised by a cloudy atmosphere arises considerably 
from the known fact that the force of radiation from the earth 



OF WISCONSIN. 267 

into space increases as we proceed northward, and also with 
increased elevation above the level of the sea. This last ele- 
ment (altitude) exercises considerable influence in lowering 
the temperature ; hence it is that the tops of high mountains 
in low latitudes are covered with snow, while the intensity of 
the heat at the bottom is almost insupportable. Independ- 
ently of altitude, the direction and form of mountain ranges 
have a great share in adding to, or mitigating the rigor of, a 
climate. 

From these known principles, the outline of the general 
features of Wisconsin would enable us to form an opinion of 
its cHmate. The contour of the country shows that a free 
passage is afforded to the north-west wind across the State, 
which is the coldest we ever experience, and especially when 
it passes over the middle and Mississippi region, where its 
course is unbroken, except by the forests extending in a wes- 
terly direction from the head waters of the St. Croix, as far 
as the government surveyors had extended their labors. When 
the winds blow from any of the large lakes, they are a good 
deal tempered from causes before mentioned. Sandy plains 
are colder than forest lands, on account of the former possess- 
ing greater radiating power. Hence it is that the north winds 
passing over Lake Superior, and descending upon the region 
south of the water shed, are rendered comparatively mild, 
even in mid-winter, until reaching the sandy regions, where 
the temperature is considerably lowered before they reach 
the country farther south, giving to it a more excessive cli- 
mate. 

In winter the north-east and east winds are greatly modi- 
fied, while in summer, the south-west winds, passing up the 
valley of the Mississippi, and deflected east by the western 
chains of high lands and mountains, are both temperate and 



268 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

healthful. In the middle and southern parts of Wisconsin, 
the northern breezes tend to cool down the air, and the same 
effect is produced by the southern winds, which are frequently 
accompanied by rain. The vast number of small lakes dot- 
ting the north-west portion of Wisconsin tend considerably to 
abate the excessive heat of mid-summer and modfiy the cold 
of winter, but not in the same degree, as they are covered 
with ice during a considerable portion of the winter season. 
The same observation applies to the swampy lands. 

The sandy regions of the State are warmer in summer than 
those resting on a clayey soil, owing, in part, to the reflecting 
power of the sand. Every wind unaccompanied by rain, ex- 
cept the north-west, contributes to increase the heat of sum- 
mer, modified, how^ever, by the configuration of the country, 
and other circumstances. Naked rocks, sandy plains, dense 
forests, extensive prairies, large bodies of water, large rivers, 
numerous lakes, elevated ranges, &.C., exercise no small in- 
fluence in forming climates. I have been able to survey in 
the forest for a whole day, without gloves, when I could not 
venture to do so on the prairie, with almost any quantity of 
clothing consistent with a working condition. 

The springs are colder in the lake regions than farther 
in-land, in consequence of the volume of caloric rendered la- 
tent in the process of melting the ice and snow, whenever 
they accumulate during the winter. This, of course, retards 
vegetation, but when spring opens, the danger to which early 
vegetation is exposed, in the middle and far-western States, 
from sudden alterations of temperature, is altogether unknown 
in the northern parts of Wisconsin. Though the springs are 
later in the northern parts of Wisconsin than in the middle 
and southern parts, yet the crops are not much later. 

Throughout all Wisconsin, the winters are dry, the air 



OF WISCONSIU. 269 

bracing and invigorating, and the sky generally free from 
clouds. In frosty weather there is seldom much wind. To 
all these conditions of the atmosphere. I attribute the absence 
of that uncomfortable cold feeling often experienced in much 
more southern latitudes. I felt colder in Ireland in winter, 
with the thermometer several degrees above zero, than in this 
State, with the thermometer ranging from ten to thirty de- 
grees below zero. A laborer works out doors here in his 
shirt sleeves, under a degree of cold which could not be en- 
dured in England or Ireland. It is only in April and May, 
when the thermometer rises, that I felt any sensation of cold, 
owing, no doubt, to the quantity of moisture in the atmos- 
phere during those months. It is not easy to distinguish by 
sensation the difference between the positive effects of the 
pretty high, and the negative of the ver\' low, thermometric 
scale. If you handle a piece of iron in very frosty weather, 
it will blister your finger as quickly as a hot iron ; the trigger 
of a gun will speedily blister the fingers, and a jack-knife in 
the breeches pocket will make one jump as with a sudden 
scald. ! n fact, the sensation of a pretty high positive degree 
of heat, and of a large negative degree, (which we call cold,) 
is the same, when the atmosphere is dry. 

There is much more clear weather in the middle and south- 
ern portions of Wisconsin than in the States farther south, 
and more cloudy weather in the northern parts of the State 
than in the south. On account of the large bodies of water 
and extent of forest in the northern parts of the State, more 
rain actually falls there than in the southern portions, the 
evaporation being more copious from the lakes and forests. 
Evaporation from the foliage of the forest tends to keep the 
atmosphere in a humid state, vrhile the direct rays of the sun 
are intercepted, preventing evaporation from the earth. Hence 



270 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

it appears that a forest has a tendency to equalize the temper- 
ature of a climate, preventing those extreme degrees of heat 
and cold which are felt in an open, unprotected country. El- 
vated prairies and sandy plains have a drier atmosphere than 
forests, but the difference of temperature between day and 
night, and between summer and winter is greater. 

The temperature of the streams flowing into Lake Supe- 
rior, as compared with that of the tributaries of the Missis- 
sippi, proves the effect of a northern, as compared with that 
of a southern aspect. Though many of these tributaries 
take their rise from the same lake or swamp, yet the differ- 
ence of their temperature, even at a small distance from their 
common source, is astonishing. The mean temperature of 
two countries may be equal, and still the climates may be 
quite different. One country may enjoy very hot summers, 
and endure very cold winters, the mean temperature of which 
may equal the mean temperature of a moderate cUmate, 
neither too hot or too cold. And though the mean tempera- 
ture of two chmates may be equal, yet their effect upon veg- 
etation and health may be very different. The climate of 
Ireland clothes her with a rich and lively mantle of everlast- 
ing verdure, but is too cold to ripen the grape, or bring a 
squash to maturity ; while parts of America, having the same 
mean annual temperature, produce and ripen these to the 
greatest perfection, the heat of summer being sufficiently in- 
tense for that purpose, but the intensity of the winter cold so 
great as to destroy all traces of vegetation. Hence the ne- 
cessity of knowing the annual temperature of a country to 
form an opinion of its agricultural capabilities, so far as cli- 
mate is concerned. 

From the preceding remarks, we may easily conceive why 
the difference between the winter and spring is greater in 



OF WISCONSIN. 371 

Wisconsin than it is in the midland States, and also, why the 
difference between spring and summer, and summer and au- 
tumn is not so great in Wisconsin,- especially in the lake re- 
gions, as in the middle States. 

Vegetation, as a general thing, is a true index of climate 
and temperature. This is proved by the remarkable coinci- 
dence between the vegetation of Alpine districts, as you as- 
cend, and the middle latitudes northwards. The relation be- 
tween this ascending forest vegetation, and the distribution of 
trees over the temperate and frigid zones, as you travel north- 
wards, is so striking that it may be considered as ^'universal 
law, modified, however, by those influences which constitute 
the contrasting peculiarities of distant shores, differently pos- 
ited as regards aspect. In ascending from the vine-producing 
plain to the top of the snow-capped mountain, we pass in the 
course of a single day through several zones varying in tem- 
perature and forest productions. In ascending the Alpa, in 
Switzerland, a difference in vertical elevation of three hund- 
dred feet will produce a change of 1 deg. Fahrenheit in the 
mean annual temperature ; therefore, a journey to the top, 
say of six thousand feet, will produce a difference in the mean 
annual temperature of 20 deg. of Fahrenheit. The temper- 
ature at the foot of the Alps is similar to that in latitude forty 
degrees north ; and as we travel towards the north, a diminu- 
tion of one degree in the temperature takes place for every 
sixty miles ; therefore, we should travel over twelve hundred 
miles north from the 40th degree of north latitude before ex- 
periencing the same climatic changes, as in travelling from 
the foot of the Alps to a height of six thousand feet, which 
may be done in one day. From the in.l^cnce of cHmate on 
forest vegetation, and from the facts above stated, it follow* 
that a narrow, horizontal zone of Alpine flora corresponds to 
13 



272 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

a broad zone of northern vegetation, stretching over an ex- 
tended plain. Trees that grow well at the foot of an Alpine 
region will disappear as you ascend to a higher zone, which 
will be occupied by others of a different species ; and trees 
that succeed well under the genial influence of the sun in a 
low latitude, will altogether disappear in a high latitude, 
which will ultimately 'be wholly occupied by pine and birch 
forests, corresponding exactly with the growth of high re- 
gions in Alpine districts. 

From the connection betv/een climate and vegetation, we 
are not to be surprised at the geographical distribution of 
plants. Animal life, too, having the full power of locomo- 
tion, seems to be confined within geographical limits, show- 
ing an intimate connection between organized existence and 
the external world. This is fully illustrated by the fact that 
certain tribes of fishes are confined to limited oceanic zones, 
never being found farther north or south. The parallel be- 
tween elevation, (as illustrated above in forest vegetation,) 
seems to be carried out in the animal kingdom. The shells 
and fishes found in the head waters of large rivers are scarce- 
ly ever the same as those inhabiting their middle or lower 
course ; showing that certain elevations above the surface of 
the ocean are distinguished by distinct groups. These groups 
are said to be identical with the inhabitants of fresh water 
lakes occupying zones of equal temperature ; which shows 
that the same law which regulates the geographical distribu- 
tion of plants is strictly obeyed in the distribution of animal 
life, modified, however, by local circumstances, such as suit- 
able food and other elements essential to their well-being. 
Similar exceptions may be made to the law of geographical 
distribution in the vegetable kingdom. The lepidosteus is 
found in tho St. Lawrence, in Lake Ontario, Erie, and Mud 



OF WISCONSIN. 173 

Lake, in Lakes St. Clair and Michigan, but never ventures 
as far north as Lake Superior, though there is no natural 
barrier to prevent it. In the open sea, which presents no 
natural barrier to marine animals possessing powerful loco- 
motion, the same law of geographical distribution seems to 
be obeyed, by confining distinct tribes within certain limits. 

Land animals, perfectly unrestrained, seem to classify 
themselves into families, which are confined within certain 
geographical limits. Those, however, under the control of 
man, are made to adapt themselves to numeroui varied cir- 
cumstances, extending far beyond the natural hmits pre- 
scribed to them in their wild state. 

We derive additional evidence from the migration of birds, 
to show, that in the plan of creation, animals are intended to 
be located within certain limited boundaries. Birds wander 
at the approach of winter into temperate climates, but are 
never known to pass from the northern to the southern hem- 
isphere. Those birds which go south from the Arctic region 
are sure to return at regular stated seasons. Fishes, also, 
which migrate at the approach of the spawning season, never 
fail to return to their former abodes. This desire of living 
within limited native boundaries, impresses me with the con- 
viction that animals in general were intended to live where 
they were created — man is an exception; and those animals 
under the influence of man, may be adduced as another, but 
not with equal propriety, as the change of place is not a vol- 
untary act on their part, but rather the result of artificial re- 
straint or education. At the discovery of the most distant 
island in the ocean, it is generally found inhabited by some 
animal dissimilar, perhaps, in character, to any other known 
to naturalists, or agreeing, in many of its leading characteris- 
tics, with others at a distance, but not in all. If no other in 



^ 



274 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

the world be like the isolated inhabitant of the island, how 
came it there ] Did it leave its native country and travel by- 
land and w^ater over thousands of miles to seek a home in a 
desolate island, leaving no other of its kind behind ? This is 
absurd, and, to say the least of it, most improbable. I would 
be inclined to the opinion that the animal had been created in 
the region where it was found. 

Were I to consult my own inclination, I should pursue this 
subject to some length ; but as I only mean to throw out a 
few hints showing how closely the habits, well-being and 
physiology of plants and animals are connected with, and de- 
pendent on, chmate. I confine myself to the statement of 
ascertained facts, derived from the researches of modern nat- 
urahsts, which seem to contradict some theories of long 
standing. 

Among the most curious researches of the present day may 
be ranked those of the celebrated Professor Agassiz, in rela- 
tion to the resemblance which is seen between the early 
stages of growth in fishes, and the lov*^er forms of their fami- 
hes in the full-grown state ; and also to a similar resemblance 
between the embryonic forms and the earliest representations 
of that class in the oldest geological epochs — " an analogy 
which is so close, that it involves another most important 
principle, viz : that the order of succession in time, of geolo- 
gical types, agree with the gradual changes which the ani- 
mals of our day undergo during their metamorphoses, thus 
giving us another guide to the manifold relations which exist 
among animals, allowing us to avail ourselves, for the puipose 
of classification, of the facts derived from the development of 
the whole animal kingdom in geological epochs, as well as 
the development of individual species in our epoch." This 
principle being admitted, the investigation of embryology 



or WISCONSIN. 275 

would throw a vast amount of light upon the succession of 
fishes of all geological periods, as well as upon the succession 
of other animals of olden times, now found in a fossil state. 

Climate being as intimately connected with agriculture as 
soil, I have devoted more space to its discussion than perhaps 
the intended limits of the present work would warrant; there- 
fore, I shall bring the subject to a close by referring to the 
following tables, and also by saying a few words descriptive 
of our beautiful Indian summer, Vv^hich generally commences 
about the 16th or 20th of October, and ends about the 20th 
of November. 

No European can form an idea of this delightful season, in 
which the poor Indian collects his scanty harvest of Indian 
corn and wild rice — burns the vast prairie to facilitate his 
hunting excursions, and collect game. The quantity of smoke 
ascending from these fires tend to diminish the briUiancy of 
the sun's rays, rendering the light much more pleasant. The 
expanse of prairie on fire during this season is so vast that 
the atmosphere is impregnated with the smoke for thousands 
of miles in every direction. The eye is relieved by the par- 
tial obscuration of the glare that precedes it, just like the 
sensation produced by surrounding a brilliant gas light with a 
globe of ground glass to diminish the glare and render the light 
much more pleasing. Such of the prairies as escape this 
process in the Indian summer, is doomed to suffer in the 
spring, in order to allow the young grass to shoot up for cattle 
to feed on. The white intruder assists in this operation for 
a similar purpose. The name, " Indian summer," must have 
taken its origin from the Indians' occupation during this sea- 
son, the only time they seem to provide for, or even think of, 
their future wants. To what shall I compare the Indian sum- 
mer ] '• To the last and unexpected flare of a dying taper — 



476 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

or to the warm, transient, but rosy glow which will often 
steal over the snows of the distant Alps, after the sun is far 
below the Jura, and after they have been seen rearing them- 
selves for a while, cold and ghastly white, over the horizon. 
During the Indian summer, the air is calm. Glistening 
strings of gassamer, woven by the aeronaut spider, stream 
across the landscape — all near objects are seen through a 
dreamy atmosphere filled with a golden haze, v/hile the dis- 
tance melts away in violet and purple." 

By inspecting ihe following tables, it will be seen that the 
thermometer does not stand very high more than two or three 
days together, and that we seldom have intense cold weath- 
er more than about three days in succession. What is prin- 
cipally against the climate of Wisconsin, as well as the other 
Western States, are the sudden transitions from heat to cold, 
and from cold to heat. If the rains were more frequent, but 
not 60 heavy, in these States, it would benefit the agricultu- 
ral interests of the country, by promoting vegetation. But, 
from what has been stated in this chapter, it is easy to fore- 
tell that some, at least, of these defects in the climate will, 
in time, be obviated. When the country is cultivated, drained, 
and cleared of forests, except belts left for protection against 
adverse winds and weather, the sudden changes of weather, 
so unpleasant and injurious in their ellects, will be unknown. 
Our summers will be warmer, and our winters colder ; but 
the seasons will be more steady and certain. 

The following tables will show that the Slate of Wiscon- 
sin is the most healthy State of the Union, save and except 
Minnesota and Oregon. The small number of deaths, as 
compared with the living population n these States, may be 
accounted for from the fact that the population of these two 
States is composed principally of foreigners who have recently 



o» wiscoNSin. 



i^ 



settled in them, among whom is a large proportion of adults, 
not so subject to disease, ending in death, as a mixed popula- 
tion composed in part of old persons and young children,whose 
chances of dying increase with their distance from that peri- 
od of life at which most persons remove to a distant land. In 
Wisconsin, the ratio of the deaths to the number living is as 
1 to 105.82, in Minnesota as 1 to 202.66, and in Oregon as 
1 to 282.82. But comparing Wisconsin with an old State, 
for instance Massachusetts, where the deaths compared with 
the living are as 1 to 51.23, we see the former is twice as 
healthy as the latter. In this comparison, however, we must 
recollect that among our present population are large num- 
bers of foreigners who but recently settled amongst us ; but 
comparing with any State of the Union, whether young or 
old, except Minnesota and Oregon, Wisconsin is by far the 
most healthful. 

Meteor alogical observations made at Sumrnit, Waukesha Co., 
for 1850, by Edward W. Semer. 
max. min. mean. Weather. 

25.80 Fair days, 152. 

Cloudy, 124. 

Rainy, 64. 

Snowy, 3. 

Changeable, 32. 

WindN. 12,S.27,E.34,W.66. 

Changeable 56, N.E. 16, S.E.45. 

N.W. 38, S. W. 66, Calm 15. 



Jan'y, 


43 


-8 


25.80 


Feb'y, 


48 


10 


26.87 


March, 


68 


6 


31.06 


April, 


72 


17 


40.12 


May, 


82 


28 


62.58 


June, 


88 


42 


67.62 


July, 


91 


50 


72.13 


August, 


86 


48 


70.67 


Sept'r, 


76 


34 


68.60 


Oct'r, 


71 


22 


48.66 


Nov'r, 


64 


12 


38.49 


Dec'r, 


42 


3 


20.83 


Mean, 


91 


10 


46.08 



278 INDUSTRIAL EESOUECES 

Monthly mean temperature at Beloit, hy Prof. Lathrop, 1850. 
January, 25.33 May, 54.25 Sept'r, 59.72 

Feby, 27.50 June, 69.50 Oct'r, 49.50 

March, 31.50 July, 74.10 Nov'r, 39.60 

April, 40.50 August, 71.00 Dec'r, 24.00 

We have very lew foggy days in Wisconsin, the number 
in the course of the year ranging from two to four days. I 
have never observed anything bordering on a dense fog simi- 
lar to what is seen in England or Ireland; and when we hap- 
pen to have a foggy day, it lasts but a few hours. More than 
two hundred days in the year are fair, and our rainy days do 
not exceed fifty-four days. 

Sometimes this State is visited by water-spouts. One was 
observed at Southport, in 1843, which is described in the 
Southport Telegraph. At the distance of ten or twelve 
miles from the shore was observed a dense cloud, from which 
descended a thick vapor in the form of a reversed pyramid, 
the surface of the water beneath it appearing considerably 
agitated, "bubbling, foaming and rising up in hundreds of 
little sharp pyramids of various heights, until at length an 
aqueous cone rising upward, united with the descending one, 
forming a volume apparently some two hundred feet high, and 
exhibiting the form of two funnels united at the little ends, 
the point of contact being much the smallest part of the col- 
umn. In the middle of the column was seen what may be 
termed a transparent tube, through which the water appeared 
to rush with a spiral motion, and with a velocity truly won- 
derful." These phenomona depend upon electric influence ; 
they take place in months peculiarly subject to thunder 
storms, and flashes of light are occasionally seen moving 
about them with prodigious velocity. They have been often 
dispersed by pointing a sword towards them — a common prac- 



or wiscoNsiif. 879 

tice at sea ; which proves that electricity is the prime agent 
in the formation of these phenomena. Signer Beccaria 
proves the analogy between the phenomena of water-spouts 
and electricity, by hanging a drop of water to a wire commu- 
nicating with the prime conductor, and placing a vessel of 
water under it. Thus circumstanced, the drop assumes all 
the various appearances of a water-spout, both in its rise, 
form, and manner of disappearing. 

We have thunder storms here much more frequent than in 
England, and by many degrees louder. To a new-comer the 
roaring, cracking, reverberating sound is fearful ; but finding 
it, except in very rare instances, harmless in its results, his 
fears soon subside. Though we seldom hear the electric 
fluid destroy life, yet nothing is more common than the de- 
struction of tall trees in the forest, during a violent thunder 
storm. A thunder storm often precedes heavy rain, and such 
storms are most violent in the months of Sept'r and April. 

The Aurora Borealis, in these western countries is a grand 
display of color, illumination and movement. A large seg- 
ment ot the north-western horizon suddenly blazes up, reflect- 
ing the most briUiant light in every direction, and after a few 
moments all is darkness, which is again soon dispelled by an- 
other glare too dazzHng for the eye to bear. When the con- 
cave surface of the heavens is thus lighted up, the smallest 
object becomes visible and continues so during the brief illu- 
mination. The color of this meteor is reddish, inclining to 
yellow, sending out frequent corrustations of pale light, which 
seems to rise from the horizon in a pyramidical, undulating 
form, and shooting with inconceivable velocity towards the 
zenith. This meteor sometimes assumes the form of an arch 
generally transparent, but sometimes partly bright and partly 
dark. These lights afford much relief to the inhabitants of 



280 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

high latitudes during the gloom of their long winter nights. 
Many attempts have been made to account for such phenom- 
ena, but I have no doubt we must refer the cause to electrici- 
ty. Besides the more obvious and known appearance which 
constitutes a resemblance between this meteor and the elec- 
tric matter, by which lightning is produced, it has been ob- 
served that the aurora occasions a very sensible liuctuotion in 
the magnetical needle, and when its direction is lower than 
usual in the atmosphere, the Hashes are attended with a hiss- 
ing, rushing sound. This noise I have not heard myself, but 
I have been told the phenomenon is frequently observed in 
the northern parts of these States. Dr. Kane, one of the 
gentlemen who went in search of Sir John Frankhn, men- 
tions thai he observed the aurora arcs directly over head, 
nearly coincident with the magnetic meridian. 

It may be interesting to mention, in connection with this 
subject, that when the exploring party were north of the mag- 
netic pole of our earth, the south polar direction was read by 
the compass as north ; the variation being 180 degrees. 

The aurora is much more frequent in the fall of the year 
than at any other season. Sir John Ross paid much atten- 
tion to this phenomenon during his exploring voyage in search 
of a north-west passage. I heard him read a paper, on this 
subject, before the British Association for the advancement 
of Science. He appeared to think that the lofty icebergs in 
the northern seas had some share in reflecting the electric 
light, giving direction to its course according to the shape and 
relative positions of these reflecting pinnacles. When elec- 
tric disturbance attains a high degree of intensity, the equili- 
brium of the disturbance is restored by a discharge attended 
by a development of light. 



or wiscoNsni. 281 



CHAPTER XII 



Our State is laying a sure foundation to secure a high po- x' 
sition in Science, Literature and the practical Arts. Alreai^ 
charters have been obtained for several institution of learn- 
ing. A State University is in full operation at Madison, the 
Capital of the State, and the progress it has already made, 
under the able superintendence of the present chancellor, 
(Lathrop,) and a highly qualified stafi"of professors. is a pledge 
of what may be expected from such an institution, when 
grown into full maturity. It is under the direction of a board 
of visitors, consisting of twent}--one gentlemen, of whom the 
Governor, Secretary of State, and Judges of the Supreme 
Court, aie members. Congress has apportioned 46,080 acres 
of the public lands for the support of this University. The 
capital arising from this source, in 1851, was $25,167 87, 
and the amount applied to the university, in 1852, was Sl,- 
665 51. The encouragement held out by this institution, has 
not induced many pupils to take advantage of it, the number 
recei\ing instructions being very small, as compared with its 
high character. The Episcopal church has a college under 
its management, at a most beautiful place, on the Twin Lakes, 
27 miles west of Milwaukee, This gives high promise of 
usefulness. It is purely theological, 

Beloit has a college, under the direction of the Presbyterian 
and Congregational churches, which has progressed as rap- 



5SS IFDUSTRIAL RESOrBCIS 

idly as its promoters could wish. Besides a good library, 
this institntion has a useful cabinet, and philosophical appa- 
ratus. An addition of $21,340 has been made to the pecuni- 
ary resources of this college dming the present year. A sem- 
inary for the education of females is in connection with this 
institution. These two religious societies have a college at 
Waukesha, which is progressing in prosperity and usefulness. 
The president is commencing a library and philosophical ap- 
paratus. 

The Milwaukee University has received a charter this pre- 
sent year (1852.) The preparatory branch of this institution 
is in operation, under the guidance of a numerous Board, over 
wiiich the Rev. Dr. Hunter presides. The preparatory de- 
partment is conducted by professors in every way qualified to 
discharge the respective duties of their offices. The site cho- 
sen for the junior branch of tiiis college is central and health- 
ful. When funds are collected, splendid buildings are to be 
erected, suited to the proper wants of the senior branch of 
the university, which is to be chosen in some healthful local- 
ity in the vicinity of Milwaukee. 

The Milwaukee Normal Institute and High School were 
permanently organized in 1350, and are now regularly char- 
tered. This institution is in a flourishing condition ; it is ar- 
ranged in four principal departments, and has a Normal 
School, with ample provision for the thorough education of 
female teachers. This institution has a large number of 
young ladies, receiving instructions in a wide range of sci- 
ence and literature, besides the usual accomplishments suited 
to ladies of the first class. 

A college has been recently erected at the south side of the 
city of Racine, under the charge of the Episcopal church. 
The building is handsome, and the site beautiful. The presi- 



OF WiSCOKSIIf. 283 

dent, Rev. Dr. Park, is building a handsome residence for 
his own use, convenient to the college. From the high char- 
acter of the president, this institution promises to be conduc- 
ted on a plan which cannot fail to give puLuc satisfaction. 

Lawrence University has been permanently organized at 
Appleton, in Brow^n county, on the banks of the Fox River. 
This is under the charge of the Methodist church, and seems 
to answer all the purposes for which it was established. The 
number of pupils in attendance is very considerable. This 
institution is highly spoken of. The academic building con- 
nected with the University is four stories high, and measures 
30 by 100 feet. The college buildings are to be on a scale 
which will add considerably to the appearance of that beauti- 
ful little place. Mr. Amos A. Lawrence, of Boston, the pro- 
prietor of Appleton, has given the munificent sum of §10,000 
towards the expenses of this college. 

At Platteville, in Grant county, is established an academy 
conducted by J. L. Pickard, A. M. The education afforded 
by this institution is said to be of a high order, and the build- 
ing beautiful and commodious. 

In many parts of the State, private schools furnish facili- 
ties of acquiring a sound and useful education at moderate 
rates. 

There is no country in the world w^here the rising popula- 
tion is so amply provided with the means of receiving literary 
instructions as the United States. One thirty-sixth part of 
the State of Wisconsin is set apart for educational purposes. 
Every township consisting of thirty-six square miles, has the 
section, or square mile, numbered sixteen, placed under the 
charge or management of school commissioners, who are ap- 
pointed annually, to attend to all matters connected with the 
common schools. School houses are built in every township 
by a tax levied upon all the taxable property, a part of which 



284 



INDUSTRIAL RESOUECES 



being applied to the payment of the incidental expenses of 
teaching. A great number of school houses have been al- 
ready built throughout the State, and every year adds to their 
numbers. We have, in Milwaukee, five new school houses, 
which, in point of extent and architectural taste, would be an 
ornament to any city in Europe. They are really splendid 
palaces, with ghstening domes and imposing fronts. In mag- 
nitude and style. These institutions, though designated com- 
mon schools, are a credit to our city. 

The following statement, taken from the State Super! n- 
tendant's report, for 1852, will exhibit the apportionment of 
the school fund for that year : 



Counties. 






Counties. 




Bad Axe, 


efl62 


72 


Manitowoc, 


$315 20 


Brown, 


722 


40 


Marquette, 


1,333 44 


Calumet, 


165 


12 


Milwaukee, 


4,972 80 


Columbia, 


],476 


96 


Outagamie, 


373 44 


Crawford, 


188 


16 


Racine, 


2,741 86 


Dane, 


2,076 


00 


Richland, 


218 78 


Dodge, 


3,822 


56 


Rock, 


3,702 24 


Fond du Lac. 


2,122 


56 


St. Croix, 


140 64 


Grant, 


2,628 


48 


Sauk, 


905 76 


Green, 


1,845 


60 


Sheboygan, 


1,814 40 


Iowa, 


1,688 


16 


Washington, 


3,721 92 


Jefferson, 


1,983 


84 


Walworth, 


3,406 56 


Kenosha, 


1 ,868 


64 


Waukesha, 


2,048 16 


La Crosse, 


11 


05 


Waupaca, 


70 69 


La Fayette, 


1,352 


16 


Winnebago, 


1,441 92 



Total, $48,931 20 

Amount withheld to pay delinquent towns, 4,772 64 



Total, 



$53,704 84 



OF WISCONSIX. 285 

United States Officers. 

District Judge, Andrew G. Miller ; Marshal S. V. R. 
Ableman ; Collector, John White. 

Wisconsin State Cfficers. 

Governor, Wm. A. Barstow ; Lieut. Governor, Geo. T. 
Lewis ; Secretary of State, Alex. T. Gray ; Treasurer, Ed- 
win Janssen ; Attorney General, George B. Smith : Super- 
intendent Public Instruction, H, A. Wright ; Bank Comp- 
troller, Wm. M. Dennis ; State Prison Commissioner, A. 
W. Starks. 

Members of the Senate, in 1854. 

J. Q. Adams, C. Dunn, F. H. West, L. Grant, N. Dewey, 
R. P. Bowen, D. Howell, L. Sterling, C. Bashford, C. A. 
Eldridge, H. N. Smith, L. P. Harvey, J. W. Carey, B. Allen, 
A. M. Blair, B. Mantz, T. T. Whittlesey, J. F. Loy, D. S. 
Vittum, E. Miller, E. M. Hunter, G. R. McLane, J. D.Rey- 
mert, E. Wakely, E. McGarry. 

Lt. Gov. J. T. Lewis. President of the Senate; S. G. 
Bugh, Chief Clerk; J. M. Coe, Ass't Clerk; J. M. Sher- 
wood, Sergeant at Arms; D. O'Connor, 1st Ass't do.; D. 
McL., 2d Ass't do. 

Members of the Assembly, in 1854. 

T. Hagerty, Milwaukee; John Crawford, Milwaukee; Wal- 
ter D. Mclndoe, Portage; C. S. Wright, Racine; Lewis, 
Rood, Grant; N. R. Norton, Burlington; H. S. Orton,Dane; 
T. West, Racine: A. C. Ketchum, Columbia; John Smith, 
Racine; J. L. V. Thomas, Rock; Jas. H. Knowlton, La- 
fayette; P. Parkinson, Lafayette; A. Mitchell, Green; Jas. 
Hooker, Kenosha; Wm. P. Allen, Walworth; Jas. L. Kyle, 
Manitowoc; M. M. Whedon, Ozaukee; C. J. Bell, Jefferson; 
D. L. Morrison, Jefferson; Geo. Gary, Winnebago; Alex. 



286 IKDUSTElAL EE90URCES 

Hart, Calumet; Jas. Smith, Waukesha; Edvv'd Lees, Wau- 
kesha; M. K. Young, Grant; J. L. V. Terhuen, Crawford; 
W. Reinhardt, Milwaukee; P. Lavis, Milwaukee; Joseph 
Spaulding, Rock; S. G. Colley, Rock; Wm. Jeffrey, Grant; 
Edw'd Estabrook, Grant; Isaac J. Talmadge, Fond du Lac; 
M. J. Thomas, Fond du Lac; C. R. Head, Dane ; P. W. 
Matts, Dane; S. W. Spafard, Walworth; And. Whiting, 
Walworth; P. W. Lake, Walworth; C. J. Rich, Winneba- 
go; 0. F. Bartlett, Walworth; S. Hale, Kenosha; W. J. 
Gibson, La Crosse; David Scott, Outagamie; C. H. Purple, 
Waukesha; L. W. Joiner, Iowa; John Toay, Iowa; D. 
Reed, Jefferson; Eustis, Jefferson; Parker, Dodge; Wil- 
Uam F. McCormick, Dodge; George Fox, Dodge; B. F. 
Barney, Dodge; A. H. Atwater, Dodge; J. W. Davis, Dodge; 
T. Bernhart, Jefferson; E. Boener, Fond duLac; G. P. Hr.r- 
rington, Walworth; F. Densmoyer, Brown; S. McCracken, 
Marquette; Arc. Nichols, Marquette; J. Tobin, Milwaukee; 

C. C. Remington, Sauk; N. M. Donaldson, Fond du Lac; 
A. Rosenthal, Sheboygan; Nath. Wheeler, Richland; S. H. 
Baker, Dane; Har. Barnes, Dane; W. M. Torbert, St. Croix: 
J. Hadley, Milwaukee; P. Zimmerman, Washington; John 
Mathes, Sheboygan; A. Shantz, Washington; J. H. Ear- 
nest; Layfayette; W. Hull, Grant; Alf. Topliff, Columbia; 

D. Worthington, Waukesha; E. O'Neil, Milwaukee; H. N. 
Beecroft, Milwaukee; W. E. Webster, Milwaukee; D. Nog- 
gle. Rock county. 

F. W. Horn, Speaker; Thos. McHugh, Chief Clerk; D. 
McKee, Ass't Clerk, W. H. Gleeson, Sergeant at Arms. 

Among these are 40 farmers, 3 physicians, 1 shoemaker, 2 
brewers, 3 notaries public, 10 lawyers, 6 merchants, 1 rafts- 
man, 1 gun-smith, 2 clerks, 1 merchant tailor, 2 carpenters, 
1 miner, 1 editor, 1 mason, 1 agriculturist, 1 real estate. 



OF WISCONSIN. 287 

Wisconsin Supreme Court. — Chief Justice, Edward V, • 
Whiten ; Associate Justices, A. D. Smith, Sam'l Crawford. 

Supreme and Circuit Judges. — First District, Jas. R. Doo- 
httle, Racine ; Second District, Levi Hubbell, Milwaukee ; 
Third District, Charles H. Larrabee, Ozaukee ; Fourth Dis- 
trict, Timothy O. Howe, Green Bay; Fifth District, M. M. 
Cothren, Mineral Point ; Sixth District, W. Knowlton, 
Prairie du Chi en. 

United States Senators. — Henry Dodge, of Dodgeville, Iowa 
county ; Isaac P. Walker, of Waukesha. 

Representatives in Congress. — First District, Daniel Wells, 
of Milwaukee ; Second District, Benj. C. Eastman, of Platte- 
ville ; Third District, John B. Macy, of Fond du Lac. 

State Land Officers. — Register. Benjamin O. Henning ; 
Receiver, James Murdoch. Milwaukee — Register, — Kim- 
ball ; Receiver, Jonas Whitney. Mineral Point — Register, 
George H. Slaughter ; Receiver, — Stevenson. Willow 
River — Register, Moses S. Gibson ; Receiver, Francis P. 
Catlin. Green Bay — Register, Alexander Spaulding ; Re- 
ceiver, Edgar Conkhn. 

Banks. — The number of banks doing business in this State 
under the General Banking Law, in January, 1854, was 
twelve; whose total liabilities amounted to $2,450,499 09. 
The names and capital are as follows : 

The State Bank, at Madison, with a capital of .$50,000 ; 
Wisconsin Marine and Fire Insurance Company, Milwaukee, 
capital ^100,000 ; Bank of Racine, at Racine, capital $50,- 
000 ; Rock River Bank, at Beloit, capital 50,000 ; City Bank 
of Kenosha, at Kenosha, capital $50,000 ; State Bank of 
Wisconsin, at Milwaukee, capital $150,000 ; Wisconsin 
Bank, at Mineral Point, capital $50,000. Farmers and Mil- 
lers Bank, at Milwaukee, capital $50,000 ; JefTerson County 



288 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCE* 

Bank, at Watertown, capital $25,000 ; Badger State Bank, 
at Janesville, capital $25,000. 

The above banks were chartered on the 11th January, '54. 
There are several other banks in the State, doing business, 
which are not yet registered under the banking laws, but are 
preparing to be regularly organized : such as Townsend & 
Finkler's Bank, at Milwaukee ; George Papendiek & Co.'s 
Bank, at Milwaukee ; Janesville City Bank, of Henry Bun- 
ster ; Fox River Bank, at Neenah ; Winnebago Co. Bank,- 
at Green Bay ; Bank of the West, at Madison ; Oshkosh 
City Bank, at Oshkosh ; Bank of Commerce, at Milwaukee; 
Exchange Bank, at Milwaukee ; Bank of Fond du Lac, at 
Fond du Lac ; Racine Co. Bank, at Racine ; Milwaukee 
Bank, by Levi Blossom. 

Neiospapers. — There are over 60 newspapers published in 
the State, besides other periopicals. Of these, 8 are in the 
German language, one in the Norwegian, and one in thg 
Dutch. All the newspapers are published weekly, and some 
tri-weekly. Daily papers are issued at Milwaukee, Madison, 
and Racine. Papers are published in the following towns : 
Appleton, Baraboo, Beaver Dam, Beloit, Berlin, Columbus, 
Delavan, Elkhorn, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Inmansville, 
Janesville, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lancas- 
ter, Madison, Manitowoc, Monroe, Milwaukee, Mineral Point, 
Platteville, Potosi, Prairie du Chien, Portage City, Oshkosh, 
Ozaukee, Racine, Ripon, Sauk City, Sheboygan, Sheboygan 
Falls, Shullsburgh, Stevens' Point, Watertown, and Wau- 
kesha. 

Officers of Milwaukee Count >/.— County Judge, Charles E. 
Jenkins ; Clerk of the Court, Matthew Keenan ; Sheriff, 
Herman L. Page ; Under Sheriff, S. S. Conover ; Deputy 
Sheriff, Wm. Wedemeyer ; do. do., John Mitchell ; do. do., 



OF WISCONSIN. 289 

A. Seifert ; do. do., Wm. Beck ; Prosecuting Attorney, A. 
R. R. Butler -; Register of Deeds, C. J. Kern ; Treasurer, 
G. M. Fitzgerald ; Clerk Board Supervisors, A. Bade ; Sur- 
veyor, John Gregory ; Coronor, John Mitchell. 

Officers of the City Government. — Mayor, Byron Kilbourn ; 
President of the Board, Jackson Hadley ; City Clerk, Robert 
Whitehead ; Comptroller, John B. Edwards ; Marshal, John 
Mitchell ; Treasurer, Ferdinand Kuehn ; City Attorney, E. 
Foote ; Police Justice, Clinton Walworth ; City Surveyor, 
Wm. S. Trowbridge. 

City Printers — Wm. E. Cramer, Daily Wisconsin ; Frat- 
ney & Herzberg. City Sealer of Weights and Measures, 
Jesse M. Van Slyck. 

Aldermen — First Ward — Geo. S. Mallory, Jackson Had- 
ley, Victor Schutte ; Second Ward — R. Houghton, Charles 
E. Jenkins, Chas. Geisberg ; Third Ward — John Coughlin, 
John Hayden, James Reed ; Fourth Ward — James Luding- 
ton, A, L. Kane, Daniel Schultz ; Fifth Ward — Andrew- 
Mitchell, E. Wunderly, Jasper Humphrey. 

School Commissioners — First Ward — King, Hadley and 
Duggan ; Second Ward — Jenkins, Brown and Church; Third 
Ward — Cummings, McGarry and Crocker ; Fourth Ward — 
Powers, Butler and Day ; Fifth Ward — Mitchell, Place and 
De Wolfe. Standing Committees for 1853-54 — Finance 
Committee — Messrs. Hadley, Cummings and De Wolfe ; 
Library Committee — Messrs. Mitchell, McGarry, Duggan, 
Church and Button ; Committee on Text Books — Messrs. 
Place, Duggan and Powers ; Examining Committee — Messrs. 
Day, King, Powers, Hadley and Place ; Executive Commit- 
tee — J. Hadley, B. Church, J. Cummings, Haven Powers, 
and A. Place. President ol the Board, Charles E. Jenkins ; 
Secretary, Robert Whitehead. 
14 



290 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Standing Committees. — Finance — Wunderly, Houghton 
and Ludington ; Judiciary — Jenkins, Mallory and Reed ; 
Schools — Mitchell, Hayden and Houghton ; Police — Hum- 
phrey, Kane and Schutte ; Fire — Schultz, Wunderly and 
Geisberg ; Printing — Kane, Coughlin and Mallory ; Licenses 
—Reed, Schutte and Mitchell ; Gas Lights — Hadley, Jen- 
kins, Coughlin, Schutte and Humphrey ; Bridges — Mallory. 
Geisberg, Reed, Kane and Mitchell ; Harbor Com. — Hadley, 
Houghton and Kane ; Settlement of old Tax Certificates, &c. 
— Wunderly, Mallory, Geisberg, Schultz and Hayden. 

Commissioners of Surveys — First Ward, Joshua Hatha- 
way; Second Ward, L A. Lapham ; Third Ward, Ehsha El- 
dred ; Fourth Ward, L E. Goodall ; Fifth Ward, Martin De- 
laney . 

Assessors — First Ward, H. Upmann ; Second Ward, B. 
Church ; Third Ward, Richard Owens ; Fourth Ward, J. S. 
Pardee ; Fifth Ward, Martin Delaney. 

Rail Road Commissioners — First Ward, A. Sawyer ; Sec- 
ond Ward, H. Haertel ; Third Ward, Daniel Murphy; Fourth 
Ward, S. C. West; Fifth Ward, Carlton Holland. 

Justices of the Peace — First Ward, Albert Smith ; Second 
Ward, C. F. Bode; Third Ward, Wm. Holland; Fourth Ward, 
Haven Powers ; Fifth Ward, Oliver Parsons. 

Constables — First Ward, F. Kessler ; Second Ward, Geo. 
Fischer ; Third Ward, John H. Ryan ; Fourth Ward, Patrick 
Maloy,Jr.; Fifth Ward, Charles Mayer. 

Fire Department. — Chief Engineer, John S. Fillmore ; 1st 
Ass't Engineer, Daniel Neiman ; 2d Ass't do., J. C. Good- 
rich ; 3d Ass't do., Loring Doney. Fire Wardens — First 
Ward— R. C. Jacks, Frank Davlin ; Second Ward, A. Hill, 
Nathan Pereles ; Third Ward — Morris Louis, Theodore Bilty; 
Fourth Ward, Charles Bierbach, Charles Duvall ; FifthWard 
S. H. Martin, H. S. Brooks. 



OF WISCONSIN. 291 

Foreign Consuls — Hanover, (Kingdom,) C. H. H. Papen- 
(liek ; Brunswick, (Dukedom,) Carl E. Wendt. 

The city of Milwaukee is advantageously situated at the 
junction of the Milwaukee and Menomonee rivers, ninety 
miles from Chicago, eighty due east of Madison, and one hun- 
dred and four from Green Bay. The bay, at the extremity 
of which the town is built, is three miles broad and one mile 
deep. The city of Milwaukee was incorporated in 1846, 
and previous to 1818 it could not boast of a single white man. 
Mr. Solomon Juneau was not only the first white settler in 
Milwaukee, but the first white resident in Wisconsin, with 
the exception of a few settlers at Green Bay and Prairie du 
Chien. On the 14th of September, IS 18, Mr. Juneau en- 
tered the Milwaukee river, and in 1834 built a frame house 
for the accommodation of himself and family, having previ- 
ously built some log cabins for the accommodation of his 
business. In 1835, Mr. Juneau lived in a log house situated 
in front of the splendid store now occupied by Ludington & 
Co., on East Water street. The only other buildings then 
were five log houses, belonging to citizens now residing in 
Milwaukee. Mr. Juneau carried on a considerable business 
with the Indians, supplying them with provisions, blankets, 
and trinkets. The Indians mustered about two hundred, 
principally of the Pottowattomie tribe, tented in wigwams 
extending from where the United States Hotel now stands to 
where the German Catholic Church stands. 

How dilFerent the state of things now. How different the 
appearance of the Queen City of the Lakes in 1854, only 
eighteen years from the date of incorporation. Much praise 
is due to the pioneer who chose the site. The bluffs sur- 
rounding the city form a sort of amphitheatre, broken by a 
branch of the river, which runs due west ; another branch of 



292 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

the river, by which vessels enter the city, runs through the 
town in a northerly direction. The water of this branch is 
employed in driving machinery of various descriptions. Part 
of the town lies low, and is altogether occupied by stores, 
ware-houses, hotels, offices, and other houses of business. 
The higher parts are occupied by the residences of merchants, 
professional men, and others desirous of enjoying a fine pros- 
pect and good air. The buildings springing up every day 
would be considered no disgrace to the most splendid cities 
in Europe ; some of them are built of brick of the most beau- 
tiful color and of the most enduring quahty. The stores in 
the principal streets would be an ornament to London or 
Paris. All the streets run at right angles to one another, 
nearly all of them having alleys. The city is divided into 
five wards, each electing three aldermen, one of them being 
elected to serve two years, and the other two only for one 
year, and one assessor : the aldermen elected for two years 
also acting as street commissioners. Each ward has a justice 
of the peace, and the whole city one police magistrate. The 
cit}' also elects a comptroller, who has certain duties to dis- 
charge. The city has also a mayor, marshal, treasurer and 
attorney. The city has an engineer, who is elected by the 
aldermen annually. The population of Milwaukee, in 1850. 
was 21,000, and in 1852 the population could not be less 
than 24,000. In 1854 the population is 30;000. 

There are in the city of Milwaukee P> Protestant Episcopal 
churches, 3 Presbyterian, 3 Methodist, 2 Congregationalist. 
5 Catholic.. 8 Lutheran, 2 Synagogues, 1 Holland Presbyte- 
rian, 1 Norwegian, 1 Welsh, 1 New Jerusalem, 1 Associate 
Reformed Society. Besides these, there are other places 
where congregations meet for religious worship. 

Among the principal hotels in Milwaukee are the United 



OF WISCOKSIJr. 293 

States, the American House, the Cit}- HoteL Cross Keys. 
German Hotel. Eastern Hotel, Tremont, Merckants' Hotel. 
Washington, Steam Boat, Keystone State, Baltic. Niagara. 
Crummey's, 3Ienomonee. Clinton, Fountain House. 

We have some fine halls, devoted to public exhibitions. 
Metropolitan Hall is tastefully fitted up, and capable of con- 
taining 1200 persons. Young's Hall seems to be the favorite 
resort of all who seek pleasure and instruction. This beau- 
tiful room is capable of containiiig fi-om 12 to 1500 persons. It 
is open for public lectures, concerts, plays, <Scc. Metropoli- 
tan Hall is open for similar purposes. Concerts are given in 
Dickerman's Block, and in other places in town. 

There are six fire engine houses in the city, for the accom- 
modation of the firemen. These are handsome brick build- 
ings, surmounted by cupolas. The market house is a fine 
brick building, surmounted by a handsome cupola. Many of 
the churches are handsome buildings, the Catholic Cathedral 
being far the most splendid. This edifice is an ornament to 
the city and a credit to the Rt. Rev'd gentleman to whose 
unwearied exertions and private munificence this splendid 
temple will be a lasting testimonial. 

Milwaukee has 7 daily papers, besides weeklies and tri- 
weekhes. Four are in English, and three in German, There 
are, besides, weekly and monthly periodicals, devoted to lit- 
erature and religion. 

Milwaukee has 16 breweries, which are scarcely suficient 
to supply the demand for beer and ale. These are celebrated 
for a beverage called ''lager bier," a drink at present in high 
repute, especially among the German population, who con- 
fine themselves exclusively to beer of some sort. Lake Brew- 
ery is well known for its good ale and beer. This extensive 
estabhshment is owned by Richard Owen. Wisconsin Brew- 



294 INDUSTRIAL EESOUECES 

ery, by Best & Co.; City Brewery, by Valentine Blatz; Main 
Street Brewery, by J. P. Engelhardt ; Washington Brewery, 
by L. Gallager ; Gipfel's Brewery ; Krug's Brewery ; Prairie 
Street Brewery, by J. H. Seune ; Pfeiifer's Brewery, by 
C. Pfeiffer & Co. ; Scheenk's Brewery, by N. Scheenk &. Co. ; 
Plank Road Brewery, by Charles Best & Co. ; Menomonee 
Brewery, by Melms & Co. ; Stolz & Schneider's Brewery ; 
Ziegler's Brewery; Green Bay Road Brewery. 

Our city is well provided with good foundries. Eagle Foun- 
dry, owned by Turton & Sereomb, does much credit to our 
new city. I am intimately acquainted with this extensive 
establishment, and have no hesitation in stating that it turns 
out as good work in all its various departments as any in the 
Western States, where it stands unrivalled. The Menomo- 
nee Locomotive Foundry, conducted by Walton, Lee & Co., 
does good work in all its different branches. It has manu- 
factured locomotive engines for the Mil. & Miss. Rail Road, 
which are highly spoken of. Union Foundry, , pro- 
prietors. Rowland's Brass Foundry turns out good fire en- 
gines and general work. Van Dyke's brass foundry is well 
spoken of. Meyers works extensively in copper. His es- 
tabhshment is called the Steam Brass Foundry. 

The Woollen Factory on the canal w^ater power, owned 
by Walter Burke & Co., does considerable business. Besides 
its manufacture of cloths, it turns out large quantities of la- 
dies' shawls, which re.^ect credit on the proprietors, as well 
for the quality of the fabric as for the taste displayed in the 
patterns. 

The Humboldt Paper Mill, owned by Noonan & McNab, 
manufactures large quantities of different sorts of paper. 
This mill is on the Milwaukee river, within three miles of the 
city, and has an unlimited amount of water-power. 



OP WISCONSIN. 295 

The Soap and Candle Factory of Plankinton & Co. is per- 
haps the most extensive and complete, not only in the State, 
but in the eniire Union. We have many others in the city. 
Hagerty manufactures good soap in the 3d Ward. 

City Foundry, owned by Christoph Rosche, is well spoken 
of. Reliance Works are owned by Decker & Seville. 
Threshing machines of superior workmanship are manufac- 
tured by S. D. Cummings. The Wisconsin Iron Works do 
considerable business. These are owned by A. J. Lang- 
worthy. Chesnut Foundry is owned by P. Futmann. 

We have Tanneries in Milwaukee which manufacture im- 
mense quantities of leather. City Tannery, on the Menomo- 
nee river, owned by Pfister & Co. They have also a sheep 
skin factory in the same place. Jennings' Morocco Leather 
Factory is the largest in the State. In Milwaukee are John- 
son's Tannery, Chapman's Tannery, Shreter's Tannery, 
Shurn's Tannery. 

We manufacture in Milwaukee excellent Piano Fortes, 
good BiUiard Tables, good cabinet work of every description, 
guns and rifles, carriages, and indeed every description of 
work required by our population. We have good printers 
and good book-binders. I should like to name all our citi- 
zens who are distinguished for mechanical genius, were it 
not inconsistent with the plan of the present work. I can- 
not, however, avoid to make mention of a lew who stand pre- 
eminent in their respective departments. Mr. Peters, as a 
watch and clock maker, is pre-eminently distinguished for his 
talent and ingenuity. Mr. Johnson is also highly spoken of 
as a watchmaker. The dredge, so extensively used in these 
Western States, bear evidence to the mechanical genius of 
the inventor — Captain Hawley. 

The value of the principal articles manufactured in Milwau- 
kee during the year ending March 1st, 1853, was.S2,060,535. 



296 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Commerce of; Milwaukee in 1853, as taken from the Col- 
lector of Customs' report, extending from the 1st of May to 
the 30th of November, and showing the arrivals and depart- 
ures of steam boats and sail vessels, the imports and exports, 
with the amount of goods, wares and merchandize imported, 
on which duty M^as paid, or is to be paid : 

No. of arrivals of steam and sail vessels, 1,483 

Tons of merchandize landed, 33,700 

Barrels of salt landed, 48,709 

Bags of salt, 45,200 

Barrels of v/ater lime, 736 

Hogsheads of sugar, 2,970 

Barrels of apples, green and dried, 18,500 

Tons of coal landed, 8,349 

Kegs of nails, 5,437 

Lumber landed, feet, 15,000.000 

Laths landed, 5,000,000 

Shingles landed, 9,100,000 

Railroad iron from England, via Canada, tons, 2,228 

Transported in bond from other districts, 4,633 

Cost of the iron, -^285,062 

Duty on the above iron, 85,000 

Sundry other articles, cost, 3,100 

Duty, 1,000 

Departures from Milwaukee of steam and sail 

vessels, 1,458 

Exports of Wheat, bushels, 104,864 

Barley, 325,856 

" Rye, 80,375 

Oats, 131,719 

" Flour, barrels, 225,000 

" Grass seed, 1,529 

Beer, half bbls., 3,639 



Expo: 



OF WISCONSIN. 


2V 


rts of Liine, barrels. 


3,200 


Brick, 


2,367,000 


" Pork, barrels, 


6,519 


Beef, 


2,621 


Eggs, - 


1,199 


bales of Wool, 


2,673 


" Pearl ashes, casks. 


2,254 


Fat cattle, head, 


287 


" Butter, kegs, 


3.4G0 



The collector is of opinion that ten per cent, might be added 
to all the above articles of imports and exports, except those 
on which duty had been paid. 

Racine, the next in importance to Milwaukee, is beautiful- 
ly situated on Lake Michigan, at the mouth of Hoot River, 
elevated more than fifty feet above the surface of the lake. 
It lies twenty-five miles south of Milwaukee, ten from Keno- 
sha, and one hundred and fifty from the Mississippi. The 
river runs through it, leaving but a small part ol" the town to 
the north. This town occupies a level plain, and is orna- 
mented by several beautiful churches, hotels and private 
houses. Its situation and general aspect must render it one 
of the most healthful locations in Wisconsin. It is, in every 
respect, well circumstanced for trade, having a good harbor, 
and excellent farming land west of it. It has the advantage 
of plank roads, leading through rich agricultural districts. It 
was incorporated a city in 1848. 

This beautiful town has an Episcopal College, 14 churches, 
3 ship yards, 3 banks, and owns 40 vessels, with a tonnage 
of over 4000 tons. It has likewise 1 steam fiouring mill, 2 
water mills, 7 mechanics- shops, with steam engines and fur- 
naces, 2 telegraph offices, 3 plank roads, besides 2 rail roads 
now in the course of construction. It has a brewery, good 



298 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

hotels, good private and common schools, and a number of 
mechanics' shops, so common in all American towns. From 
its advantages and situation, I consider Racine one of the 
most desirable towns in the west for respectable persons to 
reside in. Its present population is 7000. 

Madison, the capital of the State, and county seat of 
Dane, proves the discriminating judgment of those that lo- 
cated it, combining as it dses, more charming and diversified 
scener^^ to promote health and pleasure, than, perhaps, the 
capital of any other State in the Union. 

Its silvery lakes are seen glistening in the bosom of round- 
ed hills, clothed with refreshing shady groves of various 
hues, hke brilliant diamonds set amidst the swelhng vest- 
ments of God's most perfect work, where alone is the line 
of beauty delineated unbroken, distinguished the Queen of 
( 'reation as incomparably the most beautiful, the most love- 
ly object of the creation. It is true, the scenery around 
Madison presents nothing bordering on the sublime ; no deep 
or gloomy cavern, awful to behold ; no frowning chff of 
fearful height ; no projecting bluff for the eagle's foot-stool ; 
no noisy cataract, displaying in its spray the reflected colors 
of the rain-bow. The scenery of Madison is not character- 
ized hy any of those stern attributes •which constitute the 
sublime. In its beauty and loveliness consist all its attract- 
ing charms. Situated on an eminence, Madison invites the 
lovers of beauty to view its rounded hills, its gentle slopes, 
its rippling streams, its stately groves, its flowry lawns, its 
flowing meadows; its waving corn, its extensive prospect, its 
green fields and its rich soil. Such a spot could not long re- 
main the inheritance of lazy, untutored ignorance. The 
hand of active industry has taken possession of this lovely 
place, banishing thoughtless inactivity. The light of ac- 



OF WISCONSIN. 299 

quired knowledge has banished savage ignorance, and the 
water that had wasted its power for ages, is now employed 
in driving as complete a flom-ing mill as can be seen any 
where, combining the most modern Em-opean improvements 
in mill machinery, acquired in a tow through Europe by the 
proprietor, Governor Farwell, with all the appliances of 
Vankee ingenuity. This being the seat of the State govern- 
ment, and of learning-, and possessing so many local attrac- 
tions, in point of health, beauty of scenery, facihty of ac- 
quiring knowledge, and of intercourse, respectable famihes, 
wishing to lead a quiet, happy life and educate their chil- 
dren, will lind it as desirable a place of residence as any 
perhaps, in the Union. It holds out inducements to hotel 
keepers, book sellers, and others carrying on genteel busi- 
ness, unequalled by any other town of its age in the country. 
The surrounding country aifords farms for sale of unsur- 
passed fertility. Its population amounts to something be- 
tween two and three thousand, and is rapidly increasing.* 

In writing this short notice of the capitol of Wisconsin, 
I feel myself bound to acknowledge my obligation to the 
Governor for his hospitality and pohte attention to me while 
rem.aining at Madison. Governor Farwell is a gentleman of 
sound judgment, great common sense, and extensive practical 
knowledge, acquired in business and in foreign countries, 
which his ample fortune enabled him to visit. He is a gen- 
tleman of good manner and prepossessing exterior, free 
Irom ostentatious display, but firm in the discharge of his exe- 
cutive duties, knowing no political party, and guided only 
by his own strict sense of justice. These qualities, combin- 
ed with an untiring spirit of improvement which gives ex- 
tensive employment to tradesmen and laborers, have gained 

* Its present population is snid to be between four and five thousand. 



300 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

for him the approbation of the State and the general esteem 
of all those around him. 

Kenosha, on Lake Michigan, is 35 miles south of Milwau- 
kee, and 65 miles north from Chicago. It has a harbor 
which admits of improvement. Three newspapers are pub- 
lished here ; and artesian wells sunk with success, which 
supply the town with a never failing supply of water. It has 
the advantage of a plank road, and will soon enjoy the advan- 
tage of tv/o rail roads. There are good private schools and 
academies, in addition to two common schools, the building 
devoted to one being sufficient to accommodate 700 pupils, 
and that devoted to the other; 300. In 1851 it contained 
3,360 inhabitants. The country west of this town is not in- 
ferior to any part of the State for agricultural purposes. Ken- 
osha has good hotels and taverns. 

Sheboygan is delightfully situated on the lake, it occu- 
pies a high position and commands a beautiful view of the 
lake. This town contains over 2000 inhabitants, has 7 fine 
churches, and 4 newspapers. It has the advantage of two 
plank roads, and must share in the advantages of rail roads, 
if the inhabitants are alive to their own interest. Its situa- 
tion and harbor, \vith the vast extent of agricultural country 
west of it, ought to secure a large business. In 1850, 17,020 
passengers landed at this port during the season of naviga- 
tion, besides a considerable quantity of merchandize, miscel- 
laneous goods, furniture and fruit. It has good hotels, tav- 
erns, common schools, and college, besides the usual me- 
chanical shops. 

Sheboygan Falls is 6 miles from the town of Sheboygan. 
It is built on both sides of Sheboygan river, and has a popu- 
lation of about 800, with 2 grist mills, 2 turning lathes, 4 
hotels, 3 churches, a printing office, a foundry, &c. This 



OF WISCONSIN. 301 

town has a good water power, and considering its size, does 
a good business. 

Janesville is the county seat of Rock county, and is distant 
from Milwaukee about 65 miles, from Beloit 13, and from 
Madison 41. This town has a valuable water power, created 
by dams constructed across the river. The growth of this 
town has been very rapid. In 1843, it contained only 333 
souls, and in 1853 it contained a population of 5000. A 
number of rail roads pass through this town, v;hich will soon 
raise it to importance, and make it a point of considerable re- 
sort. It has 2 foundries, 1 mill for manufacturing water- 
lime, 1 oil mill, 1 woolen factory, 3 saw mills, 4 flouring mills, 
4 newspapers, 6 churches, 3 banks, male and female acade- 
mies, an institution for the blind, a mill for sav/ing stone and 
turning wood. It has also a large brewery and distillery, 
both in very high repute for the excellence of the beverages 
manufactured in them. These are the property of Mr. Bun- 
ster, who also has established a bank at Janesville, which is 
said to be conducted on liberal principles. 

Watertown is the largest town in Jefferson county, occu- 
pying both sides of Rock river, near the Great Bend, at 
the foot of Johnson's Rapids, and possessing one of the best 
water-powers of the country, created by a dam built across 
the river. This water-power is employed to give motion to 
3 grist mills, 4 saw mills, 1 oil mill. In this rising town are 

1 fanning mill, 1 carding mach'ne, 1 woolen and yarn factory, 

2 select schools, 6 school houses, waggon and machine 
shops, hotels and taverns, banks, &,c., and 4,000 inhabitants. 
This town will soon have its railroads, and has already its 
plank roads. 

Waukesha lies between Watertown and Milwaukee, on 
the Pishtaka river. Its situation on the border of a rich 



302 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

prairie, with the advantage of rail and plank roads, renders 
this a most desirable place to live in. It contains many 
handsome buildings, 4 hotels, 1 foundry, 6 churches, an 
academy, 1 machine shop, 1 grist nr.U, 1 saw mill, 1 card- 
ing mill, tvo newspapers. On a rising ground south of the 
town, stands the college, under the r^Ae superintendence of 
Dr. Savage, a gentleman whose manner is calculated to 
gain respect. 

Fon du Lac ib situated on the southern extremity of Lake 
Winnebago. The growth and piosperity of this town have 
been very rapid. It contains over 4,000 inhabitants, 9 good 
hotels, 3 banks, 2 planing mills, 3 newspapers, several 
churches, a good private school, several common schools, 
and the usual number of factories. Fon du Lac is celebrat- 
ed for the number of its artesian v.^ells and the purity of its 
water. AH the boats on the lake visit this place. It only 
wants rail and plank roads to make it one of the best busi- 
ness points in Wisconsin. 

Appleton has a paper mill, 2 grist mills, 5 saw mills, 1 
edge-tool factory, 2 planing mills, 5 hotels, and water pow- 
er not Inferior to any part of the State. It has a population 
of 800. Its situation and university Vvill ensure its progress. 

Depeer is a village of about 1,200 inhabitants, on the Fox 
River, above Green Bay. It has 7 mills and 2 fisheries, yield- 
ing 1,500 barrels of fish annually. 

iVIenasha is a town of considerable promise, having good 
water privileges and a population full of energy and spirit. 
This town is situated on the north side of Doty Island. It 
has 1,200 inhabitants, and the many advantages it possesses 
ior a town, must ensure its rapid growth. It has 3 grist 
mills, 5 saw mills, 1 tub and pail facrory, sash and bhnd 
factories, an iron foundry, a brewery, chair and cabinet 
manufactories, a large pottery, 4 taverns. 



OF WISCONSIN. 303 

Neenah is a town on the south side of Doty Island, and 
has all the advantages of Menasha for a town or city, and 
has about the same number of inhabitants. Its water power 
is almost unequaled. It has 3 g-rist mills, 2 saw mills, a 
foundry, a planing mill, a sash and blind factory, cabinet 
and smith shops, &c. 

Grand Chute, above Appleton, has a good water power. 

Beaver Dam, in Dodge county, is favorably situated, hav- 
ing the advantages of an extensive water power and railroad 
communication, with a-^. excellent I'arming country around it. 
It has 2 flouring mills, an oil mill, a carding machine, saw 
mill, w^oolen factory, 3 hotels, and a population of 1,600. 
Our enterprising and excellent townsman, James Ludington, 
Esq., a young gentleman of good promise, is identified with 
the improvement and progress of this town, in which he has 
a considerable interest. 

Horicon and Waupun nre two villages likely to be improy. 
ed by the railroad now in course of construction. 

Whitewater, on the M. & M. Railroad, in Walworth 
county, is well located, and has a population of 1,100, with 

2 grist-mills, saw-mill, iron foundry, a pottery, and two or 
three hotels. 

Oshkosh, the county seat of Winnebago county, is a 
flourishing town, on the west side of Winnebago Lake. It 
has a population of near 3,000, with a soap and candle fac- 
tory, 1 foundry, 1 tannery, 1 threshing machine factory, 6 
mills, 6 hotels, 2 breweries, 1 pump factoiy, 2 sash factories, 

3 newspaper, 1 academy, and common schools, steam pow- 
er supplies that of water, in which the town is deficient. 
This is a good point and must progress. 

Portage City is situated on an eminence connecting Fox 
and Wisconsin rivers, to which point they are both naviga- 



304 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

ble, A canal has been recently constructed connecting both 
these noble rivers, and rendering the navigation uninterrupt- 
ed from the Mississippi, to Green Bay, when the obstruc- 
tions in the lov/er part of the Fox River shall be removed, 
which is expected to be done before the expiration of the 
present year, by which a vv^ater communication shall be es- 
tablished betvv'een this young city and ten thousand others, 
placed at various points, whose collective distances apart, 
give Portage City a navigable channel of 14 or 15,000 miles, 
securing accessible markets for the sale of the inexhaustabk* 
quantities ot lumber which the northern pineries will annu- 
ally supply. Being the stopping place, or half-way-house of 
an extensive navigable chain, along which must pass and 
repass innumerable vessels, laden with the produce of bound- 
less regions, it is needless to say that its commercial ad- 
vantages can scarcely be surpassed. What nature left un- 
done to make Portage City a business point, art, in the pro- 
gress of events, is accomplishing. The railroad chartered to 
pass through it will make it accessible from every quarter, 
thus securing the double advantage of land and water car- 
riage, two agencies essential to the growth and prosperity 
of ever}' city. With such advantages, its upward progress 
is certain. Its population is 2,000. It has hotels, newspa- 
pers, churches, factories, and every brancli of trade that 
could be expected in so young a city. 

Stevens' Point must become a place of some importance 
when the Horicon Railroad reaches it. Its agricultural 
capabilities and lumber resources will make it a good busi- 
ness point. It has already a population of 600 or 800. 

The village of Baraboo is surrounded by a good farming 
country, and has a vast amount of water power, with iron ore 
in large quantities at various points. It should leave nothing 



OF \nscoNsiN. 305 

undone to get a railroad, which would be the means of open- 
ing up the resources of the district. 

Prairie du Chien is on the bank of the 3Iississippi, and 
will be the terminus of the 3Iilwaukee and 3Iississippi Rail- 
road. It is now but a small village, but its situation must 
insure its growth and commercial importance. 

La Crosse is a small village, on the Mississippi, contain- 
ing about 600 inhabitants. It is to be the terminus of ttie 
La Crosse & Milwaukee Railroad. This site commands 
every advantage that can be desired for a large city, which, 
no doubt, it is destined to be at no very distant day. 

ShuUsburg is situated in La Fayette county. Its miner- 
al resources are considerable, and it contains a population 
of 2,500, with 4 churches. 5 hotels, and the usual number of 
diflerent mechanic's shops. 

3Iineral Point is a good town, lying in the southern part 
of Iowa county. The District Land Office is kept here. 
Being in the midst of a prosperous mineral district, and hav- 
ing a railroad communication with Chicago, it must always 
command business. 

Dodgevijle is a neat village, containing a population of 
about 2,000. It is surrounded by a mineral district, which is 
also capable of producing every variety of crops cultivated 
in the State. 

The village of Platteville is dehghtfully situated near the 
mounds of that name. It contains 1,200 inhabitants, and is 
in the vicinity of good bodies of mineral. 

Berhn, in Marquette county, is a promising village, situat- 
ed on the Fox River. It contains between one and two 
thousand inhabitants, and is surrounded by some of the best 
farming country in the State. Berhn lies on the highway 
between 3lilwaukee and Lake Superior, to which place the 



306 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Milwaukee & Horicon Railroad is ultimately to extend by 
two routes, terminating at Ontonogon and Fon du Lac. This 
road and the Fox River are sufficient to confer on this point 
advantages calculated to raise it to some importance among 
the western towns. 

Waupun lies 16 miles southwest of the city of Fon du 
Lac. It is surrounded by an excellent farming country, and 
has a population of over 500. The State Prison is located 
here, and the village will have all the advantages of the 
Milwaukee & Horicon Railroad, which passes through it. 

Ripon is a village in Fon du Lac county, 22 miles west 
from the city of that name. The Milwaukee & Horicon 
Railroad passes through it, and a number of other roads, 
connecting towns of some importance. This town has an 
excellent water power which drives machinery. It has a 
Presbyterian college and a woolen factory, with hotels and 
churches. 

Richland City is situated at the mouth of Pine Creek, in 
Richland county. Being on the Wisconsin river and sur- 
rounded by a good farming country, its future prospects are 
good. Its lumbering and mineral resources are additional in- 
ducements to settlers. 

Richland village is built on Pine Creek. This is surround- 
ed by good farming land and has good water power and 
mills. 

Instructions to Emiyrants. 

Persons intending to come to America should form all 
their future plans of operation at home, on rational principles, 
founded on accurate information derived from some reliable 
source ; as a stranger in this country can form no plan of his 
own, from the fact, that the moment he enters New York or 
13oston, he is thrown into a whirlpool of advising knaves, in 



OF WISCONSIN. 30f 

which he is tossed about, and ultimately swallowed up, hav- 
ing no power amidst such conflicting- elements to steer his 
own course. The Irish emigrant encounters his first diffi- 
culty in Liverpool, where he is assailed at every corner and 
lane by one of those runners, so perfect in his calling, that 
he is sure to swindle the poor deluded Irishman out of a few 
shillings at least. Let the Irish avoid these as they would the 
plague. Let the emigrant go into some respectable office at 
once, and pay for his passage.if hehadnot done so before in one 
of the branch offices in Ireland. On his arrival in New York, 
he is sure to be welcomed to the land of liberty by shoals of 
monsters in human form, all vieing with each other in ten- 
dering advice, and doing some Iriendly service to the stranger. 
Let him not listen to these villains, but go at once to the 
Irish Emigration Society, where he will get proper advice and 
instruction how to act, and where to go in search of employ- 
ment, land, or whatever he may require. The members of 
this society are Irishmen of respectability. There is at pres- 
ent an agent from the State of Wisconsin in New York, who 
will give advice to all strangers, whether Irish, German, 
Dutch, English or Norwegian. From the respectability of 
this agent, his advice should be received without hesitation. 

When strangers, depending on wages for a livelihood, land 
in New York, or Boston, their best chance for employment 
is considerably increased by moving westward, which they 
can do at little cost, on account of the competition between 
boats and rail road cars leaving the seaboard towns. The 
prosperous state of the agricultural interest in Wisconsin, and 
the vast amount of rail road operations now going forward in 
every part of the State, have created a demand for labor 
which far exceeds the supply in the market. 

When I commenced this article, I thought to give the dif- 
15 



308 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

ferent routes to the west in detail ; but the changes that take 
place every day, and the number of new routes that start up 
in quick succession, would render such a task useless. A 
volume written on this subject could scarcely secure the poor 
emigrant against fraud. His only chance is to go to the 
Irish Emigration Society, or to the Wisconsin Emigration 
Agent, and take his instructions from them. Trusting to the 
advice received at either of the above offices, the emigrant, in 
all his journey westward, must keep a sharp look out after 
his baggage. Let him keep clear of runners, among whom 
are many knaves whose only object is to cheat the unwary 
stranger. Among the runners, no doubt, are respectable 
persons, duly employed to look out for passengers, but a 
stranger cannot distinguish them from knaves who are not in 
the employment of any respectable company. 

Emigrants coming to Wisconsin, or to any of the Western 
States, had better purchase a ticket in New York which will 
bring them all through by one or either of the great Central 
routes. The emigrant can travel all the way from NewYork 
to the west by water, which is by far the cheapest, but the 
most tedious and annoying, so much so indeed that few travel 
that way. Travelling by steam on the lakes is cheap, pleas- 
ant and safe ; but on the canal it is both tedious and disa- 
greeable. The emigrant should know that he could make 
his way to the west partly by rail road and partly by steam 
boat. This mixed mode of travelling may answer very well 
for some parties, while the quick route, all the way by rail 
road, may suit others. The choice is to depend on the quan- 
tity of baggage owned by the parties. The rail road is the 
quickest, and perhaps the best, when parties are not incum- 
bered by much baggage ; but in case of much weighty bag- 
gage, the mixed mode of travelling is the best and cheapest. 



OF WISCONSIIf. 309 j 

The emigrant will see the newspapers teeming with adver- 
tisements to suit every want. Many of these are from res- 
pectable person.3 who mean what they say, but more are the 
productions of knaves who try every artifice to induce stran- 
gers to give them a call. I have seen advertisements from i 
persons who would appear to forget their own interest in 
their anxiety to serve their countrymen, but whose only ob- ^ 
ject was to deceive, I have seen an advertisement stating 
that an individual had brought two hundred industrious families 
with him to this country, whom he settled down upon farms, 
when in reality he left his native land in disguise, dressed as 
a peasant. I have seen advertisements stating that the ad- 
vertiser, as agent, had sent thousands of dollars to the old , 
country, when the fact was notorious that this agent was 
trafficing upon these thousands all the time, instead of re- |j 
mitting them to their proper destination. Let the stranger 
beware of these snares. They are set for him in almost ev- 
ery town. On every side the stranger will see flashy pla- J 
cards, flaming advertisements, and artful runners, but let him'''^ 
not turn to the right or left to read them, till some friend has 
informed him of the character of the person who issues them. 
If the stranger wants to purchase land, let him go into some 
respectable land office, many of which are to be found in all 
our western towns, and he may rest assured of getting a good 
title, as no respectable land agent will compromise his char- 
acter by deceiving the purchaser. 

All the towns along the lake shore have respectable land 
offices, where persons in quest of farms can suit themselves. 
Having a general knowledge of all the towns and country 
parts of the State, I shall at all times be ready to advise | 
strangers, and direct them to any place to which they may 
wish to go. Millers, iron founders, mechanics and laborers, 



310 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

will always find me ready to direct them where water-power, 
mineral, or'w^ork may be had. 

Persons coming from the old country have no business to 
incumber themselves with furniture, or indeed with baggage 
of any kind ; as most things can be had here nearly as cheap 
as there, and some things cheaper. It is a mistake even to 
bring too much clothes. When the emigrant arrives at Mil- 
waukee, or any town- on the lake, he had better take lodgings 
at once, or go into some respectable, honest boarding-house, 
and then apply to some respectable land agent in town for a 
farm, which he can easily procure, of any size to suit his pur- 
pose. 

Strangers coming to Wisconsin are not to be deceived by 
supposing that they can get land in any part they please at 
government price, ($1,25). Large bodies of government 
land, however, can be had in the north and north-west parts 
of the State, which may be bought for $1,25; and any amount 
of second hand land may be had in any part of the State at 
prices varying from $3 to $30, according to the improvement 
made, and the distance from market. These prices do not 
apply to land in the vicinity of Milwaukee, Racine, Janesville, 
Beloit, or Madison; or, perhaps, in the immediate vicinity of 
Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, or Kenosha ; but, as a 
general thing, excellent farming land can be had for the 
above prices. Strangers looking for a home ought to look 
more to location and proximity to market than to the first 
price. Such as may be desirous of purchasing government 
land must go to Menasha, Stevens' Point, Mineral Point or 
La Crosse, where the land offices are kept ; but persons want- 
ing improved farms, had better come to Milwaukee, which is 
the great emporium for the sale of land already located. 



OF WISCONSIN. 311 



CHAPTER XIII. 



When I commenced this work, I intended to give the 
Fauna and Flora of Wisconsin, but the press of professional 
business has prevented me from carrying my intention in- 
to execution. The use of the different sorts of woods 
in this State, however, is of such importance in industrial 
pursuits, that I feel bound to subjoin the common names ol 
the principal species. I mean also, if time permit, to give 
the common names of all the animals hitherto observed in 
the State. 

In this part of my work, I feel bound to express my obli- 
gation to Mr. Sercomb, curator of the State Museum, at Mad- 
ison, for his kindness in furnishing me with a large list, made 
by himself, of the birds, beasts, fishes, reptiles, &c,, of Wis- 
consin. My thanks are also due to Mr. Lapham, who has 
devoted much time and labor to the natural history and bota- 
ny of the State. Dr. Hoy, of Racine, has contributed largely 
to perfect the Fauna and Flora of Wisconsin. Dr. Hoy is a 
gentleman well known for his researches in natural science. 

Oaks — White Oak,' Burr Oak, Swamp Oak, Post Oak, 
Swamp Chesnut Oak, Red Oak, Pin Oak. 

Maples — Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Mountain Maple, Box 
Maple. 

Elms— White Elm, Shppery Elm. 

Cherry— Wild Black Cherry, Bird Cherry, Choke Cherry. 



312 INDUSTRIAL RESOITRCES 

Wild Plum — Hackberry, Basswood, White Thorn, Dotted 
Thorn, Crab Apple. 

Ash — Mountain Ash, Ash (Fraxinus), White, Black Ash. 

Walnut, Black Walnut, Butternut, Shell Bark Hickory, 
Pignut Hickory. 

Beech — Red Beech, Water Beech, Iron wood. 

Poplar — Balsam Poplar ; this tree is sometimes called Cot- 
ton Wood ; Balm of Gilead, &c. 

Aspens — Quaking Aspens, Large Aspen. 

Sycamore or Battonwood, Canoe Birch, Kentucky Coffee 
Tree, June Berry. 

Evergreens-^White Pine, Red Pine, Yellow Pine, Shrub 
Pino, Balsam Fir, Double Spruce, Hemlock, Tamarack, White 
Cedar, Red Cedar, 

These are the principal woods indigenous to the State ; 
others have been introduced for purposes ornamental and 
useful. 

Common names of Animals found in Wisconsin. — For the 
classification and some of the names, I am indebted to Mr. 
Lapham and Mr. Sercomb : 

Mammalia — Opossum, Hoary Bat, New York Bat, Little 
Brown Bat, Silver-haired Bat, Star-nose Mole, Common 
Shrew Mole, Dckay's Shrew, Foster's Shrew, Short-tailed 
Shrew, Black Bear, Racoon, Badger, Wolverine, Skunk, 
Fisher, Marten, Little Weasel, Ermine Weasel, Mink, Otter, 
Indian Dog, Common Wolf, Prairie Wolf, Red Fox, Grey 
Fox, Panther, Lynx, Wild Cat, Grey Squirrel, Fox Squirrel, 
Black Squirrel, Red Squirrel, Striped Squirrel, Flying Squir- 
rel, Gophar, Line-tailed Squirrel, Woodchuck, Deer Mouse, 
Beaver, Muskrat, Porcupine, Brown Rat, (introduced,) Black 
Rat, (introduced,) Mouse, Jumping Mouse, Marsh Meadow 



OF WISCONSIN. 313 

Mouse, Beaver Field Mouse, Yellow-cheeked Meadow Mouse, 
Pouched Rat, American Grey Rabbit, Rabbit, another spe- 
cies, Buffalo, Antelope, Deer, Moose, Elk, Reindeer, White 
Deer. 

Among' the animals found in Wisconsin are 62 Mammals, 
some of which have been banished by civilization beyond the 
Mississippi, The Buffalo has disappeared. The last seen 
east of the Mississippi was in 1832. 

Birds found in Wisconsin. — Turkey Buzzard, Golden Ea- 
gle, Bald Eagle, Washington Eagle, American Fish Hawk, 
Duck Hawk, Pigeon Hawk, Sparrow Hawk, American Gos- 
hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Slate-colored Hawk, Mississippi Kite, 
Swallow-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged F.,lcon, Red-tailed 
Hawk, Common Buzzard, Broad-winged Buzzard, Winter 
Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Hawk Owl, Snowy Owl, Screech 
Owl, Mottled Owl, Great Horned Owl, White-bellied Horned 
Owl, Great Grey Owl, Barred Owl, Long-eared Owl, Short- 
eared Owl, Acadian Owl, Kirtland's Owl, American Barn 
Owl, Whip-Poor-Will, Night Hawk, Purple Martin, Barn 
Swallow, Cliff Swallow, White-bellied Swallow, Bank Swal- 
low, Chimney Swallow, King Fisher, Northern Butcher Bird, 
King Bird, Great-crested King Bird, Dusky Fly-Catcher, 
Wood Pewee, Phoebe Bird, Green-crested Fly-Catcher,01ive- 
sided King Bird, American Red Start, Hooded Warbler, Blue- 
grey Gnat-Catcher, Yellow-throated Greenlet, Solitary Green- 
let, Warbling Greenlet, Red-eyed Greenlet, Yellow-breasted 
Chat, Common Mocking-bird, Brown Thrush, Cat Bird, Rob- 
in, Wood Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Wilson's Thrush, New 
York Water Thrush, Oven Bird, American Titlark, Myrtle 
Bird, Red-poll Warbler, Summer Yellow Bird, Spotted Warb- 
ler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackberrian Warbler, 
Kirtland's Warbler, Chesnut-sided Warbler, Black-poll 



314 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Warbler, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Spotted Canada 
Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Blue-grey Warbler, Cape May 
Warbler,Yellow-throat MorningWarbler,Worm-eating Warb- 
ler,Golden-\vingedWarbler, NashvilleWarbler,Orange-crown- 
ed Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Varied-Creeping Warbler, 
House Wren, Winter Wren, Short-billed Wren, Marsh Wren, 
Mocking Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Gold-crested Kinglet, 
Blue Bird, Brown Creeper, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red- 
bellied Nuthatch, Black-cap Tit, Black-throated Waxwing, 
Cedar Bird, Horned Lark, White Snow Bird, Fox-colored 
Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White- 
crowned Sparrow, Yellow -winged Bunting, Field Bunting, 
Chip Bird, Savanna Bunting, Blue-striped Bunting, Snow 
Bird, Swamp Finch, Lesser Red-poll, Mealy Red-poll, Yellow 
Bird, Pine Finch, Black-throated Bunting, Indigo Bird, Ground 
Robin, Crested Purple Finch, American Cross-bill, White- 
winged Cross-bill, Cardinal Grosbeak, Rose-breasted Gros- 
beak, Evening Grosbeak, Black-winged Red-bird, Meadow 
Lark, Golden Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Bob-o'-link or Rice 
Bird, Cow Bunting, Yellow-headed Troopial, Red-winged 
Black-bird, Rusty Black-bird, Common Crow Black-bird, 
Blue Jay, Canada Jay, Magpie, Common Crow, Raven, Hum- 
ming Bird, Crested Woodpecker, Downey Woodpecker, Yel- 
low-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Arctic 
Woodpecker, Golden-winged Woodpecker, Red-belhed Wood- 
pecker, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blacked Cuckoo, Paraket, 
Wild Pigeon, Turtle Dove, Wild Turkey, Quail, Partridge, 
Spruce Grouse, Prairie Hen, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Willow 
Grouse, Florida Gallinule, American Coot, Meadow Hen, 
Mud Hen, Sora Rail, New York Rail, American Crane, 
Brown Sand-hill Crane, Great Blue Heron, Golden Heron, 
American Bittern, Small Bittern, Great White-crested Heron, 



OF WISCONSIN. 315 

Blue Heron,Goldeii Plover, Spring Plover, Killdeer Plover,Am- 
erican Ring Plover,Whistling Plover,Turnstone, Black-breast- 
ed Sand Piper, Schintz's Sand Piper, Pectoral Sand Piper, 
Rough-breasted Sand Piper, Purple Sand Piper, Wilson's 
Sand Piper, Red-breasted Sand Piper, Semipalmated Sand 
Piper, Long-legged Sand Piper, Sanderling Willet, Varied 
Tatler, Yellow Legs Solitary Tatler, Spotted Sand Lark, 
Grey Plover, The Marlin, Ringtailed Marlin, Dowitchee, 
Common American Snipe, American Woodcock, American 
Avoset, Long-billed Curlew, Jack Curlew, Esquimaux Curlew, 
Red Phalarope, Wild Goose, Snow Goose, White-fronted 
Goose, Hutchinson's Goose, American Swan, Mallard, Black 
Duck, Grew Duck, Pin-tail Duck, American Widgeon, Blue- 
winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Wood Duck, Ruddy Duck, 
Canvass Back, Red Head, Broad Bill, Bastard Broad Bill,Whist- 
ler, Buffle-headed Duck, Harlequin Duck, Old-wile, Buff- 
breasted Sheldrake, Red-breasted Sheldrake, Hoaded Shel- 
drake, Doubie-crested Cormorant, Cayenne Tern, Black Tern, 
Marsh Tern, Common Tern, Bonaparte's Gull, Three-toed 
Gull, Winter Gull, Common American Gull, Great Loon 
or Diver, Red-threated Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Horned 
Grebe, Dipper, Crested Grebe. 

Notwithstanding the great number of birds of different spe- 
cies found in Wisconsin, a stranger passing through it sees 
but very few. Though I have travelled the State in every 
direction, yet I have seen very few birds of any description. 
Till I witnessed the collection at Madison, prepared by Mr, 
Sercomb, and saw his and Mr. Lapham's catalogue, I could 
scarcely be convinced that 287 different species of birds could 
be found in the State. 

Reptiles. — Snapping Turtle, Painted Tortoise, Blanding's 
Tortoise, Banded Rattlesnake, Yellow Rattlesnake, Black 



316 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 

Rattlesnake, Common Striped Snake, Black Water Snake, 
Green Grass Snake, Small Red-bellied Snake, Milk Snake, 
Ring-necked Snake, Marsh Frog-, Wood Frog, Shad Frog, 
Violet Salamander, Banded Proteus. 

There are in the State 19 different species of reptiles. 

i^/.s7/e5.— Sunfish, Sheephead, Yellow Perch, Mullet, Min- 
now, Muscallonge, Catfish, Pickerel, Lake Trout, Brook 
Trout, Whitefish, Garfish. Dogfish, Sturgeon — making in all 
14 different species. 

There are 90 Mollusks and 92 Fossils* known in Wiscon- 
sin. Time and space would not permit to give a list of them. 
Such as may be curious about information on such a subject 
may consult works on Geology, and a Ust of the Fauna and 
Flora of Wisconsin, prepared by Mr. Lapham for the journals 
of the State Agricultural Society. The same work contains 
3 catalogue of the plants of Wisconsin, which number 949. 

The habits and instinct of some of these animals are almost 
incredible. Before last winter I had never seen what is 
termed a muskrat's house. In the middle of October, in pass- 
ing along the marsh in the vicinity of Milwaukee, I observed 
what appeared to me to be a cock of hay recently made, and 
upon making enquiry respecting the strange locahty of the 
hay, I was told that it was a muskrat's house. In a few days 
1 observed several hundreds of these houses erected all over 
the marsh. The weather was very fine at the time. This 
early preparation on the part of the thoughtful rat, was a sure 
indication of the approach of a severe winter. How the 
muskrat. in the midst of the most delightful weather that 
could be imagined, and so long before, could foretell the ap- 



Jii connection with the subject of fossils, it may not be out of place to men- 
tion that fracments of the bones of the Mastadon, and a few of the teeth of the 
Klephant were found last year in the lead recrions of Wisconsin, which proves 
that these gigantic animals once roamed through this State. 



OF WISCONSIN. 317 

proach of a winter unusually severe, is a problem of some dif- 
ficulty for naturalists to solve. The muskrat was well aware 
of what was to come, and be prepared for it. The previous 
winters were very mild, and the thoughtful prophet saw no 
necessity of wasting time and labor in the erection of a house 
which the mildness of the winters rendered unnecessary. 

The work being now drawing to a close, I deem it necessary 
to say a few words, by way of apology, on the manner in which 
it has been executed. A work embracing so many subjects 
relating to a new country, vast in extent and but recently ex- 
plored, requires more time and consideration in its general ar- 
rangement than I could possibly devote to it. The object of 
the work being original in its conception, no similar one hav- 
ing been previously written in this country, I had to strike 
out a new course for myself, which must have rendered the 
task much more difficult, it being easier to follow a beaten 
track than to explore and locate a new one, free from objec- 
tions and faults. For this reason, and the impossibility of 
sparing time from the numerous duties of my profession, the 
work which I present could not be expected to be free from 
faults. As an apology for any errors or oversights in the 
work, I may be permitted to state that I have written it dur- 
ing a few spare hours at night, fatigued both in body and 
mind, after the labors of the day. Press of business, hke- 
wise, precluded the possibility of attending to the correction 
of the press with that degree of care which is so necessary 
in a work going before the public. I am well aware that 
statistical tables and scientific discussions are not calcu- 
lated to render a work popular ; but without these it would 
be defective, and indeed, in a great measure, useless. The 
work having been written by piecemeal, at different distant 



318 INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES OF WISCONSIN. 

periods, and in a hurry, without any attempt at style, or time 
to revise, it may be possible that the progressive and contin- 
ually varying state of the country might have caused some 
apparent discrepencies, which, perhaps, would be charged to 
the author, and not to the cause that produced them. 



TABLE OF CO]^TE:rTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Page. 

Preifce, 3 

Description of Wisconsin, 6 

Hereditary titles and law of entail, 8 

State of Ireland will induce thousands to quit, 9 

Homestead exemption in Wisconsin, 10 

Government ought to give lands free to settlers, 12 

Improvement of raccs^by intermarriage, 13 

Luxury and intermarriage of relatives lead to degeneracy,. . . 14 ^ 

Places where industrial activity exists, 14 

Use of rail and plank roads, 1 . . . 15 

Superiority of rail roads over any other, 15 

Modern improvement — what it has effected, 19 

Telegraph, how wonderful, 20 

Mixed education recommended. 20 

Places of education should be kept clear of Proslytism, 21*'''^ 

In America no one has occasion to beg, 21 ■'''^ 

Condition of a new country promotes equality, 23 

Education, &c., in time will command respect. 24 '^ 

Manual, as compared with intellectual labor, highly rewarded, 24 

Advantages of Wisconsin, 26 

We must build rail roads to keep pace with others, 26 

Rail road through Canada to Lake Superior, 27 

Sidney, San Francisco, Anglo-Saxon Empires, 27 

Lake road from Lake Superior to the Mississippi, 28 

Nature has worked on a large scale, 29 

State of the Treasury, as compared with England, 30 

Travelled through four States to get information, 30 



320 CONTENTS. 

Page. 

The author travels free, 30 

Compare the condition of other nations with ours, 31 

, 'industry forms the basis of prosperity and wealth, 31 

Constitution of the United States protects life and property,. . 31 

Physical f' ■itures, oak openings, 32 

A happy combination of oak openings, prairie and wood land, 33 

Wells in the prairie, 34 

Origin of the prairie — old theories disbelieved, 34 

Succession of trees — suggests the idea of rotation, 36 

Quality of the soil known by the trees that grow on it, 37 

Prairie tires. The world is advancing, ^. 37 

Machinery to abridge labor, 39 

Scarcity and high price of labor, 39 

In Great Britain pne is not fit for any employment except he 

is educated for it, 40 

An American often changes his profession, 40 

■^ Superiority of American ship-building, 41 

Steam ship;- —Wave line, 42 

Milwaukee is well circumstanced for ship-building, 45 

Manitowoc, Racine, Kenosha ship-building. 46 

Science perfects arts — wonders of science, 47 

The earth occupied by successive races, 48 

Wisconsin Mounds, 49 

The remains of antiquity give clue to discoveries, 49 

Conjectures relative to the origin of the Indian race,. 50 

State of the industrial arts, 50 

CHAPTER II. 

This country was inhabited by people that worked in brass,. . . 51 
The industrial resources of a nation depend on its natural re- 
sources, : 53 

Manufacture of iron by charcoal, 54 

Dudley's discovery of coke to smelt iron, 54 

TIeat — its various uses in the arts, 55 

Water privileges, their advantages, 56 

Water carriage, as compared with steam, 56 

Profits from agricultural industry, what it depends on, 57 



CONTENTS. 321 

Page. 

Natural resources of a nation are true sources of wealth, 57 

To economize labor, machinery necessary, ^ 58 

Nature has given us a wide field for labor 58 

Improvements and advantages, 58 

Growth of towns — check to progjress, 59 

Failure of winter wheat crop — cause, 5^) 

Instructions on this point, ()0 

Farmers should raise more stock, 61 

Immigrants buy too much land — advice on tliis point, 61 

Till well rather than much, 62 

Agricultural instruction recommended 68 

Turf, its use. qualities, &c., 64 

Bogs of Europe are not older than the age in which Julius Ca'- 

sar lived, 64 

Peat bog in process of formation in Wisconsin, 65 

Peat in Milwaukee, 65 

Turf coal to make iron, 65 

England and Ireland got iron from Russia and Sweden, 66 

Comparative heating power of turf, as compared with coal and 

wood, 67 

Turf manufactured by Wye Milleans, 67 

Peat and brick press by the author, 67 

Turf as a manure, anticeptic quality of, 68 

Turf, its constituent parts, &c., 69 

Origin of coal, 69 

CHAPTER III. 

Coal formation period 70 

Change of climate — cause — internal heat 71 

Sir John Richardson's opinion, 71 

Geology sets no limits to her periods, 71 

Fossil wood, chemical changes, 72 

Bituminous coal, anthracite coal, 72 

Mr. Lyel on Pennsylvania anthracite, 73 

The bogs of Europe would, under favorable circumstances, be- 
come coal, , 73 

The production of lignite is constantly going on. 74 



322 CONTENTS. 

Page. 
Lignite coal at Lough Neagli, 74 

The average constiJ;ution of two specimens of lignite, and chem- 
ical composition, 74 

Average composition of anthracite, 75 

Analysis of anthracite coal, 75 

Peculiarity wliich confines the heat to the neighborhood of lire, 76 

This defect obviated, 76 

Economical effect tested on a riiil road, 76 

Economy of anthracite under the guidance of science, 76 

Bituminous coal, 77 

Its effective power to generate steam, 77 

Comparative effect of turf, anthracite and bituminous coal, 78 

United States richer in coal than any part of the world, 78 

Fuel at our disposal in Wisconsin, 79 

Heating pov/er of wood, 79 

Heating power of wood.* as compared with coal and tmt\ 80 

Horse power— facilities of transport, 80 

Wood charcoal good in the manufacture of iron. 81 

Rest season to cut timber— strength of, 82 

Water in wood— latent heat, , 82 

Statistics of the lumber trade on the Wisconsin, Black, Chip- 
pewa and the St. Croix— Dr. Owen's report on, 83 

Fox river improvement prosecuted , 54 

Statistics of the lumber trade of the north-west, 85 

Lumber trade of the Two Rivers. 87 

Trade of the pinery of Wisconsin river, 87 

Menomonee and Wolf Rivers, 88 

Menomonee Indians— treaty of 1 852, 89 

Lumber business and fish trade of GrL-en Bay, 89 

CHAPTER LV. 

Water exposed to atmospheric influence, 91 

Water as a power, 91 

Evaporation of water, 92 

Rain gauge at Milwaukee, Beloit, 91 

Experiments on evaporation, 92 



CONTENTS. 323 

Page- 
Quantity of water fallen in Wisconsin, 96 

How this power is distributed, 96 

Economy of water power, as compared with steam, 97 

Shawe- s water in Scotland, 97 

Water produces an equible motion, 98 

Mr. Buckle's experiments on this subject, 99 

Mode of maintaining any required amount of power by means 

of water and steam, 99 

Water wheels, re-action wheels, 101 

Barker's Mill. 102 

CHAPTER V. 

Better turn attention to the cultivation of the soil, 104 

Agriculture is the life-blood of the human race, 105 

How few think of learning it as a trade, 107 

Geology and chemistry necessary, 107 

A good deal may be learned at school, 108 

How necessary to know a little of science, 109 

Agricultural societies in Wiscoijsin, 110 

Wisconsin farmers have nothing to complain of, Ill 

This State derives her resources from the soil, Ill 

Geology and chemistry, how necessary, 112 

The farmer must try different branches, 113 

Deep ploughing, thorough draining, &c., 114 

The absence of high mountains extends the area of Wisconsin, 116 

To increase the productive capacity of the soil, 117 

Table showing the comparative quality of the soil, 118 

Analysis of a sandy soil, 119 

Analysis of soil derived from magnesian limestone, 120 

Organic and inorganic substances, 121 

Subsoil, variable in quality, 122 

Capillary attraction of soils, 122 

Color enters the functions of vegetation, 12.^ 

Huraurs, or ulmic-chemical analysis, 123 

Nitrogen, 124 

Relation between plants and the soil, 124 

When the soil denies food the plant dies, 124 



324 CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Analysis of three different acils, 125 

Tables, 126 

The best food to feed animals, 127 

Tables connected with this subject, 127 

Tables continued, 128 

Laud must be manured, 128 

Land may be improved by planting, 129 

Irrigation— salt, lime, marl, 129 

Many parts of Wisconsin favorable for irrigation, 130 

Different substances used as manure, 130 

Animal manure — its value, 131 

Liquid manure — its value, 131 

Guano— its value, _ 132 

Farm yard manure, 132 

Table— analysis of manures, 132 

Artificial grasses ought to be cultivated, 134 

Management of cattle, 134 

Yalue of cattle — produce, 135 

Hogs— produce, 136 

Wool, sheep— produce, 136 

Wool imported from 1821 to 1845 137 

Value of wool imported from 1837 to 1815, 137 

Turnips, carrots, beets, parsnips, &c., 138 

Potatoes, disease— Indian corn, 139 

Cranberries— value, &c., 140 

Starch and sugar— their properties, 141 

Maple sugar, 141 

Articles procured from potatoes, 142 

Rye, buckwheat, wild rice, 143 

Onions, cabbages, 143 

Melons, squash, tomatoes, 143 

Flax, a profitable crop, 144 

Best soil for flax, : 144 

Difficulty of steeping flax, 144 

Flax not an exhausting crop, 144 

A knowledge of this fact has increased the cultivation of flax 

in Ireland, 145 



CONTENTS. 326 

Page, 

New mode of steeping flax, 146 

Flax cotton, 146 

Value of flax when saved, 147 

Flax— a profitable crop, gives great employment, 147 

Hemp, 148 

Analytical tables of flax, 149 

Tobacco and hops, 150 

Facts indicating the progress of the State, 150 

CHAPTER YI. 

Mineral resources of the State, 151 

Magnesian limestone, 152 

Epsom salts from this limestone, 153 

Metalliferous veins of Cornw^all, 153 

Bounds of the Wisconsin lead region, 153 

Gangue of the lead mines, 154 

Mineral veins occur near trap dykes, 155 

Dr. Owen's report, 156 

Number of furnaces in Wisconsin, 157 

Quantity of lead — employment, 158 

Cause of the falling off, 160 

Copper mines of Wisconsin— zinc, 161 

Iron in the lead mines, 163 

Table showing ihe quantity of lead in 11 years, 164 

Committee fo report on the lead mines, 167 

Mines not worked with sufficient capital or skill, 168 

Zinc— large quantities in the mines, 169 

Iron districts, -. 170 

Money value of iron, 173 

Copper ore, 174 

CHAPTER VII. 

Geology, 178 

Order of super-position, order of rock regular, 178 

Order of succession, 179 

Elevating force from beneath, 179 

Cliff limestone, 180 

16 



326 CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Water-lime in Jefterson county, 181 

Marble in Manitowoc county, 182 

Marble at Lake Superior and Richland county,. 182 

Potters clay, brick, granite, e^een-stoue, 182 

Northern Avave, drift formation; 184 

Transported copper, 185 

Magnesian limestone, 187 

Galena, Dubuque, 188 

Cliflr limestone, 190 

Quarries, 191 

Glass sand, 192 

Geological section, 193 

Blue Mounds, 194 

Platte Z^Iounds, carrigoguinal, 195 

Sinsinawa Mounds, 197 

Face of Dane county, 198 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Upper Mississippi, 199 

Sandstone region of Wisconsin, 202 

Igneous ranges. 203 

Age of conglomerates, marls, &c., of Lake Superior, 203 

Lake Superior, 204 

Glacier movements, *. 204 

Formation of Lakes Superior, Michigan, &c., 205 

Mississippi, St. Lawrence, Lake Pepin, 207 

No tides in the lakes, 208 

Annual variation in surface of lakes, 209 

Periodical rising of the surface of the lakes, 210 

Bottom of Lake Michigan lower than at present, 211 

Quantity of rain fallen at Milwaukee, 212 

Lake Winnebago, 213 

Natural walls at Lake Winnebago, 215 

Navigation opens and closes 215 

Shipping business of the lakes, 215 

Boats employed on the lakes, 217 

Lumber business of Milwaukee 218 



CONTENTS. 327 

t 

Page. 

Property lost on the lakes,. ... -:i... *.% 218 

Loss of life on lakes and rivers. 219 

Lakes in the State 221 

Lakes divided into two classes, 222 

Elevation of lakes, 233 

Inland navigation, great, 224 

<.^HAPTER IX. 

List of rail roads in the State, 225 

Milwankee and Mississippi Railroad, 227 

La Crosse and Milwankee Railroad, .,Il":l.'.'. 227 

Lake Shore road, :: 228 

Milwaukee and Horicon Hailroad, , 229 

Railroad iron imported, - 231 

Railroad accidents, 232 

Force of locomotives coming together, 23'1- 

Dr. Lardner's illustration, 235 

Table showing how far the farmer can afford to carr}- his pro- 
duce to market on wheels, and how much cheaper he can 

travel by rail, 236 

Duties of all the piirties concerned in a rail road, 238 

CHAPTER X. 

Plank roads, 239 

Cost of plank roads, 240 

Cost of Macadamized roads, 241 

Value of plank roads, 242 

Laying out a plank road, 243 

Telegraph lines, , 244 

Has done wonders, 245 

Skilled and unskilled labor, 246 

Strikes on public works, &c,, 247 

Working tailors of Milwaukee, 248 

Foolish quarrels among Irishmen, 249 

How labor i s divided in America, 250 

Inducements to come to America, 250 

Professional men had better stay at home, 250 



328 CONTENTS. 

Page. 
Strength of men of different nations. 251 

Result of science ; machinery, 252 

Mills, frame and log houses, 253 

Laws of America favorable to invention, 254 

Copyright, 255 

High price of labor, 255 

Nativity of American residents, 256 

Mutes, blind, 258 

Insane, education, pauperism, 259 

Crime, churches, 260 

Charitable institutions, 264 

Episcopal diocese, 265 

CHAPTER XI. 

Climate of "Wisconsin, 267 

Springs colder in the lake region than inland, 268 

Temperature of streams flowing into Lake Superior and the 

Mississippi, 270 

Effect of climate on vegetation, 271 

Alpine regions, 271 

Connection of vegetation, animal life and climate, 272 

Migration of birds, 273 

Researches of Professor Agassis, 274 

Indian summer, 275 

State of Wisconsin healthy, 276 

Waterspouts, 278 

Thunder storms, , 279 

Aurora Borealis, 279 

Variation of the needle, 280 

CHAPTER XII. 

Colleges and schools, 284 

State Superintendent's report, 285 

United State's officers, 285 

Members of Senate and Assembly, 286 

United States Senators and Congressmen, 286 



CONTENTS. 3S9 

Page. 

Banks in the State, , 285 

Newspapers, and oflScers in Milwaukee county, 288 

Milwaukee, 291 

Papers, breweries, hotels, factories, 293 

Comraeree of Milwaukee, 296 

Racine, 297 

Madison, 298 

Kenosha, Sheboygan, Sheboygan Falls, 300 

Janesville, Waukesha, "Watertown, 301 

Fond du Lac, Appleton, Menasha, 302 

Neenah, Grand Chute, Horicon, Oshkosh, Portage City, 303 

Stevens' Point, Baraboo, 304 

Prairie du Chien, La Crosse, Dodgeville, Mineral Point, Platte- 

ville, Berlin, 305 

Waupun, Ripon, Richland City, 306 

Instructions to Emigrants, 306 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Names of woods in Wisconsin, 311 

Names of animals, 312 

Names of birds, 313 

Names of reptiles, 315 

Names of fishes, 316 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



Persons wanting to purchase 

FARMS, TOWN LOTS, HOUSES, &C., 

will find me always ready to treat with them on reasonable terms. 
I have FARMS OF ALL SIZES, improved and unimprov- 
ed, to suit purchasers. I have also for sale, 

SAW AND GRIST MILLS, WATER POWER, &c., 

which I can point out on my 

LARGE MAP OF THE STATE, 

on which are marked the Rail, Plank, and Common Roads of the 
country, the Rivers, Lakes, Mill-Sites, Woodland and Praibie. 
Please apply at the office o# 

JOHN GREGORY, 

Land and General Agent. 

MILWAUKEE. 



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